DAYTON/INDIANAPOLIS — The Wright State volleyball program has been picked atop the 2024 Horizon League preseason coaches poll, the conference office announced Thursday. The Raiders garnered 99 total points and nine of the 10 first place votes in the poll for the second straight season, which the league's 10 head coaches voted on.
The Raiders have been selected at the top of the preseason poll in four of the last five seasons dating back to the COVID-altered Spring 2021 campaign.
Northern Kentucky earned the lone other first place vote and had 85 points in second place, followed by Milwaukee (73 points) and Green Bay, who the Raiders defeated in last fall's HL Championship, with 71 points to round out the top of the poll.
The bottom half of the poll was Cleveland State (63), Oakland (53), Purdue Fort Wayne (38), IU Indianapolis and RMU (26 points each) and Youngstown State (16).
The 2024 Raiders will play without reigning Horizon League Player of the Year
Callie Martin, along with
Megan Alders, for the first time since 2019. The duo combined for 714 kills last season and tallied 2,260 total kills over their five-year careers. Wright State also lost setter
Katie Meyer, who passed out 1,031 assists last fall and was HL Setter of the Year. The Raiders return grad students
Taylor Bransfield and
Sam Ott to pace the offense, along with Horizon second-team members
Jenny Wessling and
Reilly Zegunis, while Zegunis added All-Freshman accolades as well.
Wright State opens its 2024 season this weekend with three matches in Athens, Ohio as part of the Bobcat Invitational. The Raiders will take on Appalachian State on Friday before Saturday meetings with Xavier and host Ohio. All three matches will be streamed on ESPN+.
2024 Under Armour #HLVB Preseason Poll
Place. Team (First Place Votes) – Points
1. Wright State (9) – 99
2. Northern Kentucky (1) – 85
3. Milwaukee – 73
4. Green Bay – 71
5. Cleveland State – 63
6. Oakland – 53
7. Purdue Fort Wayne – 38
T8. IU Indianapolis – 26
T8. RMU – 26
10. Youngstown State – 16
