Raiders fall in Horizon League Semifinals

Saturday, November 23

Dayton, OH

3:00 PM

Wright State University

24-5, 13-3

Northern Kentucky

18-12, 9-7

Northern Kentucky

Wright State

Photo by: Joseph Craven

11/23/2019 5:45:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Hosting the Horizon League Championship for the first time in program history, the top-seeded Wright State volleyball team fell 3-1 to No. 4 seed Northern Kentucky on Saturday afternoon in front of a jam-packed crowd inside McLin Gymnasium.

The Raiders' loss snaps what had been 11 straight victories at home this season, and 16 consecutive home wins dating back to last season. Wright State drops to 24-5 on the season, while Northern Kentucky wins its 18^th match and advances to Sunday's Horizon League Championship match.

Northern Kentucky won sets one, three and four, while Wright State briefly tied the match at one set apiece after taking set two.

The Raiders' 24 wins are the fourth-most in program history and the most since the 1989 season. Their seven all-league honorees were the most in program history.

SET 1
The opening set went back and forth, with Wright State getting kills from Celia Powers and Teddie Sauer to grab an early 4-2 lead. Northern Kentucky responded with a 9-3 run to take a four-point lead at 11-7. The Raiders used two kills from both Taylor Gibson and Sauer and one from Nyssa Baker as they tried to keep pace, but Norther Kentucky entered the red zone with a five-point lead. Kills from Baker and Power and an NKU attack error pulled Wright State to within two at 20-18, but the Norse rolled off five of the final six points to take the set 25-19.

SET 2
Northern Kentucky came out fast, taking an 8-2 lead before Wright State called timeout. The Raiders responded with a 10-4 run thanks to two kills from Baker and one each from Sauer, Gibson, Powers and Lainey Stephenson. Wright State went ahead by three at 15-12 but Northern Kentucky answered again, scoring eight of the next 12 points to lead 20-19. Wright State responded out of a timeout, using kills from Baker, Powers and Stephenson and a pair of NKU attacking errors to take the set 25-21.

SET 3
A back and forth set throughout, neither team could gain an advantage on the scoreboard, and Northern Kentucky held a two-point lead at the 15-13 timeout. Wright State scored four of the next six points out of the timeout on two kills each from Sauer and Baker and the teams were knotted up again at 21-21. Northern Kentucky took a two-point lead on a pair of Raider attack errors before Wright State answered with kills from Gibson and Baker to pull the score to 24-all. After each side traded a point, Northern Kentucky took the set 27-25 on two final kills.

SET 4
Northern Kentucky jumped out to a 4-1 lead before pulled to within two on kills from Mallory Ladd, Sauer, Stephenson and Baker with the score at 8-6. The teams battled throughout the middle of the set, trading kills as Northern Kentucky let 15-12 at the timeout. The Raiders scored six of the next seven points thanks to kills from Powers and Ladd and a pair of kills from Gibson to take the lead at 18-16. Northern Kentucky again responded, regaining the lead at 21-20 before a kill from Ladd tied the match again. Both sides traded kills before Northern Kentucky closed the match with three straight kills to take the set 25-22.