Boscaljon has big hopes for senior year

YOUNGSTOWN — Ruth Boscaljon is just one of three seniors on the Youngstown State volleyball team roster.

The 6-foot-3 middle hitter from Elgin, Ill., knows that this is probably the last season of competitive volleyball that she’ll play and she like nothing better than to make it the Penguins’ — and her — best season.

YSU has begun the season with a 1-2 record, including a three-game win over Stony Brook in its last outing last Saturday.

Boscaljon has opened the season with 36 kills in the first three matches, putting her over the 1,000 mark in kills for her career with the Penguins. She now has 1,028 and is seventh on the Penguins all-time list.

“Being a senior is kind of different for me,” Boscaljon said. “I’m kind of the old-timer here and we have a very young team.

“I basically try to show the younger girls some of the things that I’ve learned over the years and try to help them in any way that I can,” she said.

“This is a pretty amazing team and this is a good team,” she continued. “I saw some things last weekend in our matches that I haven’t seen here in a long time. I think this team has a very good chance of being a good one.”

Coach Joe Bonner, now in his fifth season with the Penguins, is also excited about his current group.

“This team has a lot of character and it also has a lot of depth,” Bonner said. “We only have three seniors, but they are three very good leaders on this team.

“My main concern is getting this team ready for the start of the conference season,” he said. “I’m not all that concerned about wins and losses right now.”

Boscaljon agreed about the team’s depth.

“We’ve got a lot of good players and if someone isn’t playing well, there is always somebody ready to step up and take over,” she added.

Boscaljon has the school-best career-hitting percentage of .294 and is very close to becoming only the second player in school history to have 1,000 kills and 500 blocks in her career. Kristen Meech is the other player with those totals.

Since she joined the Penguins, Boscaljon has played in every game in the last four seasons, but she still has some things that she’d like to accomplish.

“I’d definitely like to improve and get a higher hitting percentage and I want to be more accurate with my kills this year,” she added. “I definitely want to correct some blocking errors that I’ve made.”

“If they happen, OK, if not, OK, because I’m more concerned about our team’s wins and losses than anything else this year.”

The Penguins will be in action on Friday and Saturday when they travel to Cincinnati for three matches.

mollica@vindy.com

YSU VOLLEYBALL

Ruth Boscaljon

Class: Senior

Position: Middle Hitter

Hometown: Elgin, Ill.

High School: Larkin High

2009: After three matches she now ranks 7th in career kills with 1,028 and fifth in total blocks with 377. Her 992 kills were the most that any YSU student-athlete has had after her junior year. Currently owns the school-best carer hitting percentage of .294.

2008: Played in a 104 sets and started all 28 matches, led the team in kills (268), attack percentage (.297), total blocks (121) and points (353.5). She finished the year as the Horizon League leader in blocks per set (1.16) and was second in hitting percentage.

2007: Appeared in all 30 matches with 29 starts and played in all 122 sets. She as second on the team in kills (361) and led the team in blocks (115). Her hitting percentage was a team-best .268, which ranked fourth in the Horizon League. She reached double figures in kills 20 times.

2006: Named to the Horizon League’s All-Newcomer team and was the league’s Co-Newcomer of the Year and a first team All-Horizon League selection. Appeared in 32 matches, starting 30 and played in all 111 games. She set the YSU freshman kill record with 363, which also ranks eighth on the YSU single-season kills list. She was third in the league in hitting percentage (.300) and was fourth with 1.15 blocks and 4.11 points per game and was fifth with 3.27 kills per game.

High School: Was a four-time letterwinner and a three-time Upstate Eight All-Conference selection. She set career records in kills (949) and total blocks (586). She was named the Elgin Courier News Player of the Year in 2005. She was an academic all-conference pick as a senior and a member of the National Honor Society.

Personal: Daughter of Bill and Sally Boscaljon and has a brother (Will) and a sister (Meg). Her major is family consumer studies. She was born Oct. 10, 1987. She’s the recipient of the Women’s Athletic Alumni Scholarship.