DAYTON — The Wright State volleyball team enters the postseason with a 21-match winning streak, as the Horizon League regular season champion Raiders are set for hosting duties for the 2022 Horizon League Championship this weekend inside McLin Gymnasium. Tournament action begins on Friday with two matches, with Wright State taking the floor on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the first semifinal against the lowest remaining seed. The Championship match is set for Sunday at 2 p.m.
The entirety of the 2022 Horizon League Championship will be streamed on ESPN+.
Tickets for the Horizon League Championship can be purchased in advance by clicking here.
Fans can keep up with the latest bracket and news at the
Horizon League Championship Central webpage.
RAIDER MATCH INFORMATION
Saturday, November 19 - vs. Lowest Remaining Seed - 3 p.m. -
Watch - Live Stats - Tickets
Sunday, November 20 - vs. TBD (Championship) - 2 p.m. -
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LAST TIME OUT
Wright State completed an undefeated conference regular season slate last weekend with sweeps at Robert Morris and Youngstown State. Friday, eight different Raiders recorded kills as 12 players saw action, with seven kills each from
Sam Ott and
Seiler Hruska to pace the offense.
Megan Alders added six kills while three Raiders –
Taylor Bransfield,
Aaliyah Byers and
Callie Martin – all finished with five kills. Saturday, 11 different Raiders recorded kills against Youngstown State, paced by career-best nine kills from Hruska. Ott added seven kills and Alders had five kills of her own, while Bransfield, Byers and
Elena Dubuc each had four kills.
DEFEND McLIN
Since the start of the 2018 season, Wright State is 49-8 overall in home matches inside McLin Gymnasium after a 21-60 home mark (and just 54 total victories, home or otherwise) from 2011-2016. Overall, the Raiders are now 63-15 in Horizon League play since the start of 2018 and have 102 total wins in that same stretch.
ONE FOR THE HISTORY BOOKS
Wright State posted a perfect 18-0 record in HL play to capture its third regular season title in the last four seasons. The Raiders have won 21 straight matches overall. This marks just the fourth time in Horizon League history that a team finished the regular season with three losses or less, with the Raiders joining Milwaukee (1999 and 2007) and Wright State from the Spring 2021 shortened season. The Raiders now have the only two undefeated League seasons in Horizon League history (Spring 2021 and 2022).
JENNA (HI)STORY
Jenna Story became the first player in Horizon League history to win the HL Defensive Player of the Year honor four times when the HL announced its yearly awards on Nov. 17. In addition, Story became the fourth player in HL history to be named a four-time HL First Team selection, joining Taylor Root of Valparaiso, Sammy Condon of Oakland and Haley Libs of Northern Kentucky.
SETTING STEPHENSON
Lainey Stephenson became the third player in Horizon League history to earn two HL Setter of the Year honors, but the first to not do it in back-to-back seasons. Stephenson, who also won the award in the Spring 2021 season, joins Gina Kilner of Cleveland State (2016, 2017) and Maddie Yoss of Green Bay (2018, 2019) as two-time recipients.
AWARDS SEASON
Wright State saw several Raiders earn honors on Nov. 17 as the 2022 Horizon League Volleyball Awards were announced, led by
Jenna Story's fourth consecutive HL Defensive Player of the Year honor. Fellow fifth-year senior
Lainey Stephenson earned Setter of the Year honors for the second time in her career and first-year head coach
Travers Green was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year. The good news didn't stop with the major awards, as Wright State recorded a League-high four First Team honors, with
Taylor Bransfield and
Callie Martin joining Stephenson and Story, while
Aaliyah Byers was named to the All-Freshman Team.
KNOW THE FOES
- No. 2 Northern Kentucky is 17-12 overall with a 15-3 Horizon League record. NKU was great at home this season (7-2) but a combined 10-10 in road and neutral matches. The Raiders swept NKU on Oct. 4 in Kentucky and won in five sets Nov. 1 at McLin.
- No. 3 Green Bay is 22-10 overall with a 13-5 record in Horizon League action. Green Bay was 10-3 at home, 7-6 in road matches but 5-1 on neutral court. Wright State won at home in a sweep on Oct. 1 before a five-set victory at Green Bay on Oct. 28.
- No. 4 Cleveland State is 13-16 overall with a 10-8 Horizon League record. Cleveland State was a combined 6-10 in road and neutral matches this season. The Raiders swept the Vikings in the HL opener on Sept. 23 in Cleveland and won in five sets Oct. 22 at McLin.
- No. 5 Milwaukee is 10-19 overall with a 9-9 record in Horizon League action. Milwaukee was 6-4 at home but a combined 4-15 in road and neutral matches. Wright State recorded a pair of sweeps this fall - Sept. 30 in Milwaukee and Oct. 29 in McLin.
- No. 6 Youngstown State is 14-15 overall with an 8-10 Horizon League record. Youngstown State was just 5-8 at home but a combined 9-7 in road and neutral matches this season. The Raiders swept the Penguins twice - on Oct. 14 in McLin and last Saturday to close the regular season.
