Eagles Strong Start Falls Short Against Youngstown State

COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Winthrop University volleyball team fell to Youngstown State 3-1 on Saturday. Paige Bennett hammered 17 kills, while Lexi Thatcher delivered a season-high 48 assists and Addison Torain added 19 digs.

Top Performers

Kills – Bennett (17), Giselle Little (11), KeAra Bowen (8)
Aces – Lindsay Langner (2), Alyah Cadavid (1)
Blocks – Teagan Sychterz (3), Bowen (2), Thatcher (1)
Assists – Thatcher (48), Torain (5)
Digs – Torain (19), Bennett (17), Thatcher (18)

Set 1

• The Eagles took an early 5-3 lead with contributions from Bennett and Thatcher.
• Winthrop extended its advantage to 15-11 with strong play from Little and Laila Glover.
• A Glover kill and a YSU error stretched the Eagles’ lead to 23-17.
• Winthrop sealed the set with Bennett’s kill and a YSU setting error, 25-18.

Set 2

• The second set remained close until YSU pulled ahead 9-6.
• The Eagles tied it 14-14 with efforts from Glover, Bennett and Little.
• YSU regained control with a 19-15 lead and closed the set 25-19.

Set 3

• The Eagles tied the set early at 4-4 with kills from Glover and Bennett.
• YSU then surged to a 9-4 lead, aided by Eagles errors.
• Winthrop closed to 15-13 with help from Bowen but fell, 25-20.

Set 4

• YSU jumped to an 11-4 lead, capitalizing on Eagles’ errors.
• Winthrop clawed back to 14-13 with a push from Bennett and Sychterz.
• The Eagles tied it 22-22, but YSU claimed the final three points to win 25-22.

NEXT UP

The Eagles finish off the Sports Import Classic against Southern Indiana on Sunday at 11 a.m. in Columbus, Ohio.

Story courtesy of Winthrop Athletics.