GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- The Green Bay volleyball team (10-8, 5-1 HL) will be playing at home for both matches this weekend for the first time this season. The Phoenix will face Cleveland State (12-6, 6-0 HL) on Friday night at 6:00 p.m. and Youngstown State (7-12, 1-5 HL) on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. To view match notes, click HERE (PDF).

"We had an incredible home atmosphere for our opener against Oakland last Friday," said head coach Abbey Sutherland. "It is evident that our community is excited about Green Bay Volleyball and the fan experience. We encourage new fans to check us out, and we look forward to having returning fans come back this weekend! The support makes a huge difference!"

Regarding the team's mindset going into the matches, she added, "We are approaching this weekend like every other conference match; we are working hard to get mentally and physically stronger every single day. We are aware that this is another very challenging weekend. We will put in the work so that when game-time arrives, we can trust our training to play fundamentally-sound volleyball." Schedule
Friday, October 12
vs. Cleveland State @ 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday, October 13
vs. Youngstown State @ 4:00 p.m. CT
 
Media
For Phoenix fans that are unable to make it to the Kress Events Center this weekend, the Green Bay vs. Cleveland State match can be watched on ESPN3 while the Green Bay vs. Youngstown State game will be accessible on ESPN . Live stats and tweets will also be available for fans to follow along with during each match.

Cleveland State match | Watch | Stats | Twitter
Youngstown State match | Watch | Stats | Twitter

The live stats and video links can also be found on the Green Bay Phoenix volleyball schedule page. In addition, to view live tweets, fans can follow @gbphoenixvb.

Opponent Outlook
Defending league champion Cleveland State is undefeated in Horizon League play, boasting a 6-0 record to lead the conference. Half of their wins come in straight sets, while matches against Northern Kentucky, Wright State, and Milwaukee have been pushed to four. Their overall season record is 12-6.

The Vikings have possibly the best blocking team in the league, averaging 2.83 blocks per set throughout the season and ranking three in the top four players that blocks per set. In comparison, the next closest team is UIC, who gets 2.35 each set on average. In every other statistic, they are solidly above average in the conference rankings, but Green Bay has them beat in hitting percentage, assists, aces, and kills, all of which they will need to capitalize on to beat Cleveland State.

The Vikings have three individual players that have received Horizon League Player of the Week honors. Junior middle hitter Trinniti Hall and junior outside hitter Sara Skeens won back-to-back offensive honors, while senior libero Rachael Dohar earned a defensive award. Hall is the number-six player in the league in both hitting percentage and kills, as well as the second best blocker. She ranks third overall in points per set, meaning that she is a sturdy force for Cleveland State in multiple areas. Skeens is a big point-collector as well, seated fifth in the league in kills and sixth for points. Meanwhile, Dohar is ranked third for digs per set, right behind Green Bay's Vanessa Buman.

On the other hand, Youngstown State currently sits last in the league with a 1-5 conference play record and a 7-12 overall record. Their sole league win came over Wright State in a four-set victory, while every other loss was in straight sets.

While the Penguins are around the middle of the pack in kills, digs, and service aces in terms of league rankings, Youngstown State is severely lacking in blocking stats and their hitting percentage is quite low. If the Phoenix can stay error-free and accurate when they hammer down their shots, they should be able to get the win.

Youngstown is helped by the number three kill leader in the conference, junior outside hitter Aleah Hughes, who puts down approximately three kills per set. She is aided by fifth-ranked setter and redshirt freshman Alexia Brynes, but she still tallies three less assists per set than Green Bay's number one ranked Maddie Yoss.
 
Last Weekend Recap
The Phoenix picked up another two wins on the road last weekend, extending their win streak to five in a row after taking down Oakland and Wright State in straight sets. The successful weekend helped move Green Bay into second place in the league standings, as well as give head coach Abbey Sutherland her 200^th career victory.

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