After a grueling week on the road, the Youngstown State volleyball team will play two Horizon League matches this weekend at Beeghly Center. YSU will play host to Butler on Friday at 7 p.m. and Wright State on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Friday’s contest will be YSU’s “Dig Pink” match in which the Penguins will raise funds and awareness for breast cancer. Fans attending the match are encouraged to wear pink.

Youngstown State picked up its first Horizon League and road win last week with a 3-1 victory at Loyola on Oct. 4. The Penguins hit .279 behind freshman setter Brianna Bartlett and got 14 kills from both Shannon Watson and Missy Hundelt. The Penguins, though, were swept at Green Bay, UIC and Valparaiso to conclude the trip. Hundelt averaged 3.31 kills per set in the four road matches to lead the Penguins. She ranks third in the Horizon League with 3.55 kills per set, and she leads the conference with 0.40 aces per set.  Hundelt was injured when the Penguins played both Butler and Wright State last month.

Butler has won three straight Horizon League matches to improve its record in league play to 4-4. The Bulldogs swept Wright State and Green Bay and beat Loyola in four sets. Butler is looking for its first road win of the campaign. Senior Maureen Bamiro averages 2.88 kills per set, and her .301 attack percentage ranks sixth in the conference. She had seven kills in five blocks when the Bulldogs swept YSU on Sept. 17 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Wright State has lost nine straight matches since defeating YSU on Sept. 16 at McLin Gymnasium. The Raiders are 2-18 overall with their only other win coming at High Point on Sept. 10. The Raiders lost in four sets to both Green Bay and Loyola last weekend. They had been swept in seven straight matches heading into the Green Bay match. Sophomore Heidi Splinter ranks sixth in the conference with 3.17 kills per set.  She also averages 3.17 digs per set, and she had 17 digs against the Penguins last month.

Following this weekend, YSU will head back on the road for its final three road matches of the regular season. Its next match will be Oct. 21 at Cleveland State.