Solid play lifts YSU volleyball, Hardaway to first win - 21 News Now, More Local News for Youngstown, Ohio -

EAST LANSING, Michigan - The Youngstown State volleyball team hit .253 as a team and got double-doubles from Missy Hundelt and Jenna Cavanaugh to defeat McNeese State in five sets on Saturday at the Spartan Showcase.

The Penguins won the first two sets 25-17 and 25-22, and they had to rally in the fifth to win 15-13. The victory was the first for YSU in 2012 and the first for Mark Hardaway as the Penguins' head coach.

Hundelt finished with 17 kills and 13 digs while hitting at a .359 clip, and the junior right-side hitter earned all-tournament team honors for her efforts. Cavanaugh posted a career high with 11 kills, and her 10 blocks were the most by a YSU player since Ruth Boscaljon had 10 at Pittsburgh in 2009.

"I'm very happy that we pulled out the win,"Hardaway said. "We played inconsistently, and McNeese State came after us hard and played very smart. We have a lot of work to do to get to where we need to be, but there were a lot of positives this weekend to build on."

Youngstown State hit .419 in the first set with 14 kills and just one attack error en route to a 25-17 win. The Penguins jumped out to an 8-1 lead, and the Cowgirls got no closer than six points in the set. YSU never trailed in the second set but led just 22-21. McNeese State errors on a set and an attack gave YSU a 24-21 lead, and Jackie Carlise's kill gave the Guins the set win.

McNeese State scored five straight points late in the third set to turn an 18-17 lead into a six-point advantage that was insurmountable. YSU built a 22-16 lead in the fourth set, but McNeese State rallied to win the set 31-29.

Three straight Cowgirl kills gave McNeese State a 4-1 lead early in the fifth, but YSU was able to tie the set at 6-6 on an Aly Ryan kill. Neither team led by more than one point until YSU scored three straight points to win 15-13. With McNeese State up 13-12, Malina Sanchez's service error gave the Penguins a side out. Shannon Watson's seventh kill of the match gave the Penguins match point, and an attack error by Rachel Cagnina allowed YSU to capture the victory.