Raiders set for pivotal HL matchup at NKU Friday night

Friday, October 22

Highland Heights, KY

6:00 PM

Wright State University

Northern Kentucky

Photo by: Matthew Barnes

Raiders set for pivotal HL matchup at NKU Friday night

10/21/2021 2:15:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

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DAYTON - The Wright State volleyball team hits the road for a crucial matchup in the Horizon League standings, making the short trip south for a Friday night meeting against Northern Kentucky. The Raiders are currently third in the Horizon League standings, while NKU is in second-place as both look up at currently undefeated Milwaukee. Both teams are hot, with Wright State riding a seven-match winning streak and the Norse having won their last seven matches and eight of the last nine contests overall.

Fans can follow the action via live stats, while the match will also be on ESPN+

LIVE STATS | WATCH ON ESPN+

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State ran its winning streak to seven straight on Tuesday night as the Raiders dispatched host Robert Morris in three sets. Megan Alders was the only player on either side to finish with double-digit kills, ending the night with 10, while Sam Ott had eight kills and Celia Powers added seven of her own. Lainey Stephenson passed out 36 of Wright State's 43 assists, while Jenna Story ended the night with 12 digs. Callie Martin had a match-high 14 digs for the Raiders as well.

CAN YOU DIG IT
Jenna Story became Wright State's new all-time digs leader on the final rally of the first set Oct. 19 at Robert Morris. Story surpassed former Raider Jessie Thornton (2014-17) for the top spot, and now has 2,094 digs and counting in her career. Story has earned back-to-back Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year honors and AVCA Northeast Region honorable mention honors. She has cemented herself as one of the top defensive players in the country over the years and enters Tuesday's match ranked second nationally with 439 digs through 20 matches this season.

KNOW THE FOES
Northern Kentucky is 12-6 overall this season with a 8-1 Horizon League mark as the Norse have won their last seven matches and eight of the last nine contests overall. Anna Brinkmann registered a .545 attacking percentage against Cleveland State that resulted in 13 kills and followed with a 12-kill performance behind a .400 hitting percentage at Youngstown State. Brinkmann leads the Norse at a 3.68 kills per set average with 10 double-doubles on the season. Reilly Briggs has averaged 3.38 kills per set over her last 13 matches. Wright State and Northern Kentucky met in the Horizon League opener back on September 25, a five-set match that ultimately went NKU's way.

BROOM SWEEP
Wright State has strung together seven consecutive three-set sweeps dating back to October 3 at Green Bay, the longest stretch of consecutive sweeps under head coach Allie Matters. In the spring season, the Raiders finished with 12 three-set sweep wins out of their 17 victories, while the current squad has tallied sweeps in eight of its 14 wins to date.