Jarrett, Penguins eye strong finish

BEAVER TOWNSHIP — For the first time since the 2013-14 seasons, the Youngstown State volleyball team is in position to finish with consecutive winning campaigns while authoring the only two Horizon League non-losing years. The architect of that turnaround is head coach Riley Jarrett, who has taken the program from a 9-20 team prior to her arrival in 2024 to a team that finished 17-14 a season ago and looks to finish in the top four. It is 11-12 overall and 7-5 in conference play in the league as it eyes a first-round tournament bye. “We recruit players that want to win, work hard and the end result is we have a group that is highly competitive,” Jarrett told the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s meeting at Avion Banquet Center. “They buy in to everything we are asking of them, and I think that s the big thing when you re trying to turn around a program. You have to get players who are going to believe in the vision, along with a staff that is going to help you with that belief. “We ve