Wright State University
1-0,0-0Horizon
Santa Clara
0-2,0-0WCC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara | 25 | 14 | 22 | 25 | 13 | 2 |
| Wright St. | 20 | 25 | 25 | 16 | 15 | 3 |
Ayro's milestone helps Raiders earn season-opening victory
8/28/2026 10:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
DAYTON – The Wright State volleyball team opened its 2026 season with a five-set victory on Friday afternoon inside the Nutter Center, battling past Santa Clara 3-2 in the opening match of the season as Mya Ayro collected her 1,000th career kill and finished with a match-high 24 kills.
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Wright State (1-0) will look to stay hot on Saturday with a pair of matches, first against Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. before a 7 p.m. evening matchup with Marquette.
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Wright State dropped the opening set before responding with back-to-back wins in sets two and three. Santa Clara forced a deciding fifth set with a fourth-set victory, but the Raiders closed the match with a 15-13 win in the final frame to secure the season-opening victory.
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The Broncos took the first set by a 25-20 score before Wright State answered emphatically in the second set, using an early 17-4 run on the way to a 25-14 victory. The Raiders carried that momentum into the third set, leading by as many as seven points before pulling out a 25-22 win and moving within a set of the match.
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Santa Clara responded in the fourth set, hitting .290 while limiting Wright State to a .071 attacking percentage in a 25-16 victory that forced a deciding fifth set. The final frame featured eight ties and six lead changes before the Raiders closed the match with three of the final four points. Back-to-back blocks helped Wright State take a 12-10 advantage before Ayro recorded a kill to bring up match point, and Katie Sowko sealed the victory with a match-ending block.
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The Raiders finished the afternoon with a .241 team attacking percentage and held advantages in kills (67-53), assists (64-48), digs (80-67) and blocks (8-6).
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Ayro led all players with 24 kills while adding 10 digs for a double-double in her season debut. The senior collected her 1,000th career kill during the fourth set and became the latest Raider to reach the milestone. Reilly Zegunis added 16 kills and two solo blocks, while Sowko collected 10 kills, 14 digs and three service aces. Olivia Schmidt chipped in seven kills, and Abigail Knight added seven kills.
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Lauren Yacobucci directed the offense with 54 assists while adding two kills and nine digs. Taygan Corstange anchored the back line with a match-high 21 digs as Wright State placed three players in double figures defensively.
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Allison Dzieciuch paced Santa Clara with 12 kills, while Cate Shanahan and Morgan Hayes added 12 and 13 kills, respectively. Macy Hinshaw finished with 45 assists for the Broncos.
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