YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio --The Green Bay volleyball team took down the Youngstown State Penguins in a five-set thriller (15-25, 25-22, 25-18, 19-25, 16-14) Friday on the road at the Beeghly Center.
The win improved the Phoenix's record to 14-15 overall and 9-8 in Horizon play.
The Phoenix were led by an outstading performance from Alexandra Zakutney, who registered 20 kills and 13 digs on the day. Shannon Coughlin also stood out offensively, adding 18 kills to help the attack. On the defensive end, Cora Behnke chipped in for GB with 12 digs to go with six blocks from Iro Chounta.
GAME NOTES
» Green Bay had three players in double figures in kills.
» Green Bay had three players in double figures in digs.
» Alexandra Zakutney had a match-high five aces in the win.
» Green Bay never trailed on the way to winning the third set 25-18.
» Green Bay served up five aces on the way to a third-set victory.
» Green Bay attackers were helped by a team-high 52 assists from Calli Gentry.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The Phoenix found themselves in an early deficit, losing a tough first set 25-15. Green Bay trailed by as many as 11 points as Youngstown State grabbed the advantage for good at 2-1 in a set that was tied up just once before the Penguins took control.
SET 2 | Green Bay fired back after dropping the first set to take the second set 25-22, tying the match at 1-1. The Phoenix grabbed control of the set lead early on and never looked back. Green Bay led by as many as eight points at 21-13 before closing out the set. The Green Bay offense also got a boost from three aces in the stanza. Green Bay's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Youngstown State attacks in the stanza.
SET 3 | Green Bay built on that second-set success with a victory in set number three to open up a lead at two sets to one. The Phoenix took a 1-0 lead and never looked back in the set to earn a 25-18 victory. Green Bay opened up as much as a 10 point lead at 23-13 before finishing off the set. The Green Bay offense also got a boost from five aces in the stanza. Green Bay's front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Youngstown State attacks in the stanza.
SET 4 | Green Bay couldn't keep the win streak going, as the Penguins forced a fifth set with a 25-19 fourth-set win. The Phoenix dropped the set despite a strong showing on the attacking end. Green Bay registered a .325 attack percentage with 16 kills in the set loss.
SET 5 | Set five was the closest of the entire match, with the two teams playing to a standstill at 13 all. The Phoenix grabbed three of the sets' last four points to grab it 16-14.
POSTSEASON PUSH
With the win, and an Oakland loss on Friday night, both teams sit tied in the fifth slot of the Horizon League at 9-8. The Phoenix owns the tiebreaker between the two teams and would own the No. 5 seed if the teams find themselves tied in the win colum at the end of the day Sunday.
UP NEXT
GB will close out their regular season with a Sunday match at Robert Morris. First serve is set for 1 p.m. central time.
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