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