WSU vs. Green Bay Women’s Volleyball Game March 22, 2021 | Photo by Diana Jaber | The Wright State Guardian
Wright State University (WSU) Volleyball finished up its regular season on Monday with two sweeps against the Green Bay Phoenix, securing the regular-season championship and the first seed in the postseason.
The Raiders are undefeated 14-0 in the league, with their only loss this year from the Horizon League play against the Dayton Flyers 2-3.
Because WSU earned the first seed, their next match will be against Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne at home for the semi-final of the Horizon League championship on Sunday.
More than just a good team
It takes a good team to place high in the Horizon League, and an even better one to win the regular season. But, the performance from WSU’s volleyball team this season is something else entirely.
The two sweeps against Phoenix not only make the Raiders undefeated in league play, but also give them double-digit sweeps this year, taking 10 of their 14 league matches 3-0.
Out of all their matches in the Horizon League this year, WSU is 42-5 in sets, with their only 3-2 match being against the Cleveland State Vikings.
The Raiders are masters at shutting down their opponent’s offense, holding top 10 in the country in digs per set, limiting opponent hitting percentage, and blocks per set.
Libero Jenna Story leads the Raiders in this aspect of their game, with already over 1,000 career digs at Wright State before this season. This year, Story totaled a season-high of 37 digs in match one against Oakland, and then did the exact same thing the next day, totaling 74 digs in both games.
Offensively, WSU has four hitters averaging two kills per set or higher, led by right side Celia Powers in kills per set and total kills.
Even their usual non-starters are incredibly dangerous, with hitters like Mallory Ladd averaging 2.36 kills per set and leading WSU in kills in their matches against Green Bay this weekend.
WSU’s play so far both offensively and defensively makes them a clear favorite and the team to beat coming into the Horizon League Tournament.
Championship Semifinal – WSU VS IPFW
The WSU and Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne matchup is the first time the two teams have faced off since 2017, which was a 3-2 WSU win.
WSU is now 15-0 in the league after a 3-0 win against IPFW.
The IPFW Mastodons are 10-7 in the league after losing two games to the UIC Flames and the Milwaukee Panthers, making them the 4th seed and the last team to make it into the HL Championship.
The Mastodons rely on their offense to break through teams, averaging the second-highest kills per set in the league and the second-lowest opponent digs per set.
Their offense is led by star player Katie Crowe, who leads the Horizon League by far in total kills and kills per set. Crowe is an attacking threat anywhere on the court, totaling over 1000 career kills for the Mastodons.
