DAYTON — The Wright State volleyball team continues non-conference tournament action this weekend with a trip up I-75 to Bowling Green and the Hampton Inn Invitational. The Raiders will take on Texas A&M on Thursday and have a meeting with Loyola Chicago Friday before wrapping up the weekend against host Bowling Green on Saturday afternoon. All three matches are scheduled to be streamed, with the Thursday and Friday contests slated for YouTube and the Bowling Green match expected to be on ESPN+.


MATCH INFORMATION
Thursday, August 31- vs. Texas A&M - 4 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats
Friday, September 1 - vs. Loyola Chicago - 3 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats
Saturday, September 2 - at Bowling Green - 2 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State opened the 2023 season last weekend in Louisville, falling to a pair of nationally ranked teams (No. 21 Washington State, No. 4 Louisville) and sweeping Troy. The Raiders' opening set victory marked the first time this season Louisville dropped a set through three matches. Louisville, the national runners-up a season ago, only dropped three sets all season to non-ranked foes in 54 total sets played against those opponents. The last time Louisville lost a set to a non-Power 5 opponent before the Raiders on Sunday was back on April 15, 2021 when the Cardinals dropped the first set in a 3-1 victory over the University of San Diego in the opening round of the 2020 NCAA tournament (played Spring 2021).

OPENING WEEKEND EYE OPENER
Wright State freshman Reilly Zegunis was named the Horizon League Player of the Week, the League office announced on Aug. 28. Zegunis opened her collegiate career strong, playing well and opening the weekend with eight kills, tied for the team-high, against No. 21 Washington State before a match-high 14 kills in Saturday's sweep over Troy. She ended her weekend with seven kills Sunday afternoon against No. 4 Louisville. Zegunis was named to the Cardinal Classic all-tournament team, one of five players to earn the recognition after finishing with 29 kills and a .382 hitting percentage in her first 10 collegiate sets this weekend while adding six blocks.

HAMPTON INN INVITATIONAL
Wright State will face Texas A&M for just the second time ever on Thursday, while the Raiders have much longer history with Loyola Chicago (52 meetings) and Bowling Green (31 meetings) entering the weekend.

KNOW THE FOES
- Texas A&M opened the season with a pair of wins last weekend, defeating Omaha and Pepperdine in seven total sets. Last year, Texas A&M encountered its first losing season since 2017, finishing 13-16 (5-13 in the SEC). The Raiders will look to even the all-time series, with the Aggies currently holding a narrow 1-0 lead.
- Loyola Chicago came out of the first weekend 2-1, falling to No. 18 Creaighton but sweeping Duke and grabbing a five-set win at No. 16 Purdue. Loyola Chicago finished the 2022 season as Atlantic 10 Champions and received a berth to the NCAA tournament, where they fell to Kentucky. The Ramblers compiled a 25-6 overall record, including their 17-1 mark in conference play. The Raiders trail in the all-time series, 20-32.
- Bowling Green was 2-1 to start the year, defeating ETSU and Northern Kentucky while falling to No. 14 Ohio State in five sets. Bowling Green went 22-10 overall with a 15-3 mark in MAC play during the 2022 season. After winning the MAC Championship, the Falcons saw their season come to a close in the first round of the NCAA tournament in a loss to Western Kentucky. The Falcons hold the edge in the all-time series, 20-11.

QUICK HITTERS FROM THE WEEKEND
-Elena Dubuc's eight kills on Friday against Washington State were a third of the way to her season total of 24 kills as a freshman. Her previous career-best was a six-kill effort against Robert Morris last October, while she also had a trio of four kill efforts in her opening season. 
-Reilly Zegunis' eight kills vs. Washington State were the most by a Wright State freshman in their first collegiate match since former Raider Teddie Sauer (2017-2021) had nine kills in her debut six years ago to the day (Aug. 25, 2017) against Long Beach State in tournament action.
-Aaliyah Byers' nine kills Saturday against Troy were two shy of her career best and the sixth time in her career she has recorded nine or more kills.
-Andrea Bortulin's four service aces Sunday against Louisville matched her season total for service aces last year as a freshman and comes one day after she recorded three service aces in the sweep over Troy.
-Megan Alders' 20 kills vs. Louisville were the third-most in her career behind a 23-kill effort against Marshall and 22 kills at Michigan State, both in 2021. It was her first double-digit kill performance of 2023 and the 43rd time in her career she has tallied 10 or more kills.