LOUISVILLE – The Wright State volleyball team found the win column for the first time in 2023 with a three-set sweep over Troy Saturday afternoon at the Cardinal Classic.
 
The Raiders (1-1) now wrap up weekend action on Sunday afternoon against tournament host Louisville. Sunday's match is set for 2 p.m. and can be seen on ACC Network Extra.
 
Six different players each recorded multiple kills for Wright State, paced by Reilly Zegunis' match-leading 14 kills and a nine-kill effort from Aaliyah Byers in her first action of the season. Zegunis, Byers and Callie Martin each finished the afternoon with three blocks, while Martin added 12 digs, five kills and a service ace to complete her stat line. Andrea Bortulin picked up three of Wright State's six total service aces, while Jenny Wessling joined Martin in double digit digs with a match-high 14. Katie Meyer passed out 31 of the Raiders' 35 assists, her 11th straight match with 20 or more helpers.
 
OF NOTE…
- Bortulin's three service aces on Saturday were one shy of her season total of four from last season.
- Louisville natives Callie Martin and Jenny Wessling each played a big role defensively, with 14 digs (Wessling) and 12 digs (Martin). Martin recorded double-digit digs in 26 of 32 matches last season, while Wessling had 10-plus digs in 25 of her 29 matches last fall while at High Point.
- Byers' nine kills Saturday were two shy of her career best and the sixth time in her career she has recorded nine or more kills.
 
SET ONE
Troy jumped ahead early with four of the first six points of the afternoon before the Raiders battled back to knot the score at 7-all and the sides traded points from there. Tied at 12-all, Wright State used a 6-2 run behind kills from Byers, Ott and Zegunis to push to an 18-14 advantage. Troy rallied with two late points after the Raiders reached set point, but a Zegunis kill wrapped up the set.
 
SET TWO
Wright State tallied three of the first four points and didn't look back, using a four-point run midway through the set to get some breathing room behind a pair of kills from Zegunis. In control throughout, the Raiders ended the set with four of the final six points thanks to kills from Byers, Martin and Zegunis.
 
SET THREE
A 6-1 Raider run to start the set got things going, paced by three Alders kills, before Troy responded with a 6-1 run of its own and the sides traded points from there. Wright State used a Byers kill and back-to-back Troy errors to push to 22-19 before Troy responded with three straight points to knot the score at 22-all. The Raiders ended things right there, pressuring Troy into three attacking errors to close the afternoon and complete the sweep.