43
Egler inches closer to history in YSU win
YOUNGSTOWN
When Mark Hardaway took over the Youngstown State volleyball program in 2012, he wanted to make then-sophomore Lexi Egler a defensive only player.
Three seasons in, the Penguins coach is sure glad he didn’t listen to himself.
With an impressive performance Saturday afternoon at the Beeghly Center, Egler is now five kills and eight digs shy of recording 1,000 of each for her career.
“I still tease her about that,” Hardaway said with a laugh. “But she hit well enough that we just couldn’t not put her in.”
The senior captain had 12 kills and 10 digs in the Penguins sweep of visiting Wright State. YSU won 25-21, 25-16, 25-16 to snap a five-match losing streak and get its first Horizon League win of the young season.
The Penguins (10-7) dropped their league, and home, opener Friday night to Oakland in straight sets.
“We came out with a lot more energy I feel like,” said freshman outside hitter Sam Brown. “[Friday] was too fast; we didn’t go at our pace, we went at theirs.
“We changed that today and went at our pace, which is important because when our passing’s on, no one can stop us.”
At least not the Raiders (3-13, 0-2 HL), who had 20 errors in the match.
If the Penguins are playing at their pace, the ball is moving quickly from side to side to set up their two big hitters in Egler and Brown.
Sophomore Val Jeffery was able to feed them on Saturday, recording a match-high 32 assists.
“When we’re in system we have a pretty fast offense and I think it’s hard for people to keep up,” Hardaway said. “Any time Wright State kind of got on a run, they’d make a serving error or we’d get a block, so they really couldn’t get going.”
Egler finished off the Raiders in each of the first two sets with kills for the Penguins. In the third, Brown delivered the finishing blow with one of her nine kills.
“We’re just so mentally strong now,” Egler said, referencing the team’s turnaround after a disappointing loss on Friday night.
“I’m excited. We can do big things.”
Both Hardaway and Brown alluded to the importance of Egler if the team is going to have the success they’re hoping for this season.
Egler has started 88 consecutive matches for the Penguins and should surpass the century mark in kills and digs at Valparaiso on Friday. She’ll become just the fifth player in YSU history to do so.
Not bad for a defense-only player.
“Every year you have one or two people that the team follows,” Hardaway said. “This team definitely does follow Lexi. She’s a four-year starter and has really kind of earned the right to be that big go-to person.
“And she’s probably our best all-around player.”
After taking a backseat to upperclassmen last year, Egler’s eager to see just how far this team can go.
“I know I do carry a huge role on this team, but that’s the way I like it,” she said.