Allie Matters named to Under 40 Hotshot List

DAYTON, OH – Wright State volleyball head coach Allie Matters has been named to VolleyballMag.com's Under 40 Coaching Hotshots list, which recognizes the top up-and-coming coaches across NCAA Division I women's volleyball, NCAA Division I and II men's programs and all NCAA beach volleyball programs.

Matters completed her second season as the head volleyball coach at Wright State in 2019, leading the Raiders to their first Horizon League regular season championship in program history and earning the right to host the Horizon League Championship at home. Additionally, the Raiders received an at-large berth into the 2019 NCAA Volleyball Championship, the first at-large NCAA bid in any sport in Wright State athletic department history.

"Allie has done an amazing job guiding our volleyball program to historic heights in a very short period of time," Wright State Director of Athletics Bob Grant said. "Her priorities and character have fit perfectly into our culture and helped create a wonderful experience for our volleyball student-athletes."

The Raiders finished the season with the No. 45 RPI in the country, its highest in program history. Matters was named the Horizon League's Coach of the Year, while sophomore Jenna Story was named the HL Defensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Nyssa Baker, Celia Powers, Lainey Stephenson and Story were each named to the All-Horizon League First Team. Teddie Sauer was an Honorable Mention All-League performer and Megan Alders was named to the All-Freshman Team. The seven league honorees were the most in Wright State program history. Matters' honor was Wright State's first volleyball coach of the year honor since the 2001 season, when current Wright State Senior Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Joylynn Brown was honored by the Horizon League.

The 2019 Raiders finished the season with a 24-5 record, winning 20 or more matches for just the seventh time in the program's Division I era. Wright State finished a perfect 11-0 at home inside McLin Gymnasium during the regular season and had a 16-game winning streak from August 31-October 9, which was the longest streak in the NCAA during the run.

In her first campaign in 2018, Matters led Wright State to a 15-14 overall record, its first .500 or better season since 2003, while finishing with seven Horizon League wins, the most for the program since 2008, as the Raiders qualified for the Horizon League Tournament for the first time in 10 years. Before joining the Raiders, Matters was the top assistant for seven years at Seton Hall, her alma mater.

Players Mentioned

Megan Alders

Nyssa Baker

Celia Powers

Teddie Sauer

Lainey Stephenson

Jenna Story

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