Wright State University's Women's Volleyball is heating up, kicking off the season with high energy and an exhibition game against Cincinnati. Here is what to expect this year.
Starting off the season
The Women's Volleyball team has been preparing for an intense and exciting season, putting in countless hours of hard work and dedication in order to succeed and win the Horizon league. The NCAA approved a blanket waiver for volleyball to start a week early so players could hit the courts a week early to start training.
With an extra week of preseason training, practices and exhibition matchups, the team is eager to showcase their efforts and hit the court with high energy. Senior right-side hitter Elena Dubuc talked about this.
“I think that extra time helped us figure out how to play together, we have a lot of new players, so for them to learn our systems and get the flow of things is important," Dubuc said.
As the season and school year begin, the team remains committed to both their athletic craft and their education. However, losing focus will not be an issue, as WSU volleyball has once again been awarded the AVCA Team Academic Award this summer, making this the fourth consecutive year the program has received this honor.
Exhibition game: WSU vs. Cincinnati
On Aug. 23 WSU took on the University of Cincinnati in an exhibition in McLin Gymnasium. Despite losing the preseason matchup, WSU players put up a fight. This was a great way for the team to seek improvements for the regular season.
Freshman outside hitter Ella Seeger said, “There was a good bit of jitters to get out, we did really well in the first set, but it was hard to adjust to some of the girls on the other side so it started to take a toll on us, but I think that showed we have room to grow and we have a lot of potential.”
“We definitely struggled, they had two very strong outside hitters that were scoring a lot of points against us so trying to make adjustments and learn is the whole point of the exhibition," Dubuc added.
The exhibition helped the Raiders identify weaknesses and improve communication heading into the regular season.
A look ahead at the rest of the season
With a long season ahead, here is what fans can expect: WSU volleyball will host an invitational on Sept. 12-14 at the Nutter Center, the first time the team will be competing in this arena. The Raiders are set to face Ohio State, Ohio University and University of Pittsburgh in the three-day event.
"Wright State opens the regular season at the WKU Invitational against Western Kentucky, Drake and Loyola August 29 and 30 before heading to take on Nebraska and Cal at the Ameritas Players Challenge September 5 and 6," the Wright State Athletics Department explained.
This will be a great opportunity for students, fans and families to come show all their rowdy energy and support.
With early lessons learned and a home invitational coming up, the Raiders are ready to make an impact this fall. As the season goes on, Wright State’s mix of experienced players and new faces will look to keep fans excited and build confidence in winning the Horizon League this season.
