WSU Volleyball | Photo by Monica Brutto | The Wright State Guardian
As the 2023 season approaches, the Wright State University women’s volleyball team is aiming to achieve a feat the program has yet to do: win back-to-back Horizon League Championships.
Last year
In his first year coaching the Raiders, head coach Travers Green thrived with a lineup that was bolstered with talent. Green and the Raiders managed to go 18-0 in conference play before cruising through the postseason tournament and winning the second HL title in program history.
“It was a big change at first, and then once we got settled in, it was a completely different lifestyle,” senior Megan Alders mentioned. “We knew [Green] had our back, and we were prepared for each match.”
Although the Raiders lost two key players in Jenna Story and Lainey Stephenson, the club will still enter this season with a solid foundation of seniors who possess a lot of chemistry and leadership.
“We came in and changed the way Raider volleyball is viewed,” senior Katie Meyer stated. “We created this community where volleyball is a big deal here.”
New year, same big stakes
The transition for the seniors this year is one that comes with a lot at stake, and they realize it.
“I think filling the roles of the role models in front of us, to fill those shoes is going to be fun this year,” Alders added.
After suffering a loss in the NCAA tournament to Georgia Tech last year, WSU will use its upcoming non-conference schedule that is filled with tough competition—including Cincinnati, Texas A&M, Butler and Louisville—to prepare for what could be a challenging postseason.
“There are a lot of steps that need to take place to put ourselves in that position,” coach Green emphasized. “This non-conference [schedule] will hopefully give us extra experience playing some of those teams.”
Although the team achieved great levels of success last season, the Raiders are focusing on taking things one day at a time and not letting the success get to their heads.
“Throughout the whole conference season, our goal was never to go undefeated,” senior Callie Martin stated. “We’ve shown respect to every team, and ultimately we were the best we were at the end, and going undefeated in conference came and went with that.”
In the Cardinal Classic last weekend, the Raiders recorded a loss against Washington State and Louisville and a win against Troy.
