Champions | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State University women’s volleyball team achieved a feat this weekend in winning back-to-back Horizon League tournaments—something that has not been done in program history. This year’s title victory marks the third in the last four seasons for WSU.
Heading into the tourney
After a long season full of ups and downs, the Raiders battled to the end, winning its last seven matches in the regular season to claim the No. 1 seed and earn hosting privileges.
“Our team has always been committed, they know what the end goal is and what it takes to get there,” Horizon League coach of the year Travers Green stated.
On Saturday, WSU played in its first postseason match, hosting the No. 6 Cleveland State Vikings in the semifinal round.
WSU came out on a mission, defeating the Vikings by a landslide in three sets. The final scores from Saturday were 25-9, 25-15 and 25-18 to earn a spot in the HL title match.
On Sunday, McLin Gym was filled with energy as the Raiders were on the verge of repeating as champions. Students, parents, fellow athletes and many more showed their support and gave the Raiders a huge home-court advantage.
The Raiders began Sunday in a similar manner to Saturday, jumping out to a 7-2 lead and not looking back. The Raiders claimed the opening frame 25-14 over the No. 2 seeded Phoenix from Green Bay. WSU was very dominant at the net early, claiming 12 blocks through the first two sets.
The Raiders would finish the match outscoring the Phoenix 14-6. Aaliyah Byers led with eight blocks and Megan Alders added six of her own.
The Raiders were much more efficient on offense than Green Bay, hitting .262 on the match while Green Bay hit .035.
10 errors from the Phoenix in the second set alone helped propel the Raiders to a second-set victory, inching them closer to another title.
The third set was competitive to the end. With a 19-18 lead in the third, WSU rallied on six consecutive points to close out the HL tournament, winning the final frame 25-18. The Raiders were perfect in postseason play with two straight sweeps.
Awards
WSU earned several HL awards in the regular season, highlighted by Callie Martin winning HL player of the year, Katie Meyer winning setter of the year, Coach Green being named HL coach of the year and more.
That would certainly not change during the tournament. Katie Meyer was named the HL Tournament Most Valuable Player.
In both games combined, Meyer notched 68 assists, averaging over 11 per set and leading the Raiders to a .359 hitting percentage.
“It means a lot, especially going back-to-back. That was a big goal for us at the beginning of the year because nobody has ever done that in our program,” Meyer added after the title win. “I just want to make the people around me better and contribute in any way that I can.”
Katie Meyer | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
Callie Martin, the HL player of the year, earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Martin finished the weekend with 27 kills through six sets while also adding 21 digs and eight blocks.
“There was no better way to end it. I am so happy I got to end it here at McLin, winning with some of my best friends,” Martin mentioned after earning her third HL title.
Sam Ott also earned all-tournament team honors, adding 22 kills along with 12 digs and five blocks.
After losing multiple key players from last year’s title squad, there were a lot of questions surrounding this year’s team and if they could return to the top of the mountain.
“We definitely knew it was going to be a little different, but as a team, we also had the same goal and everybody stepped up,” Martin added. “We had a good mindset that everybody wanted to win.”
Callie Martin | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
The team now waits to see who they will take on in the NCAA tournament with the selection show on Sunday at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
“We put our team in positions in that type of environment that we will see in the tournament,” coach Green stated. “This group is really prepared going into that. We have played some of the top teams in the country and have proven we can hold our own.”
The Raiders will look to make some noise in its fourth NCAA tournament appearance, with all appearances happening since 2019. WSU carries a nine-game winning streak into the big dance.
Champions | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
