Wright State University (WSU) Volleyball made their return to the Nutter Center Friday, Aug. 28 for the Raider Invitational against Santa Clara University (SCU) securing their first season win.
The Raiders kicked off the invitational in a five set game against the Broncos. The first set ended with a back and forth match but the Broncos ultimately took the set with a 25-20 finish.
WSU fired back in the second set, securing a 25-14 win making it difficult for the Broncos to catch up. The Raiders carried the winning energy into the third set battling through yet another back and forth matchup before securing the set, 25-22.
Freshman Abbey Knight spoke about the team's game play during the invitational.
“We’re a very aggressive team and I know we needed to stay competitive the whole time, and overall, we did,” Knight said.
While the fourth set of the match was not won by the Raiders, Senior Mya Ayro was celebrated for her 1000th career kill.
Head coach for WSU Volleyball, Travers Green, talked about Ayro and her success.
“She’s been a phenomenal player for us,” Green said. “She’s an extremely hard worker, very hard on herself and you know I think it's just really cool to see all the results and the proof of the hard work.”
WSU continued to work and won the fifth set of the match (15-13), leading to their first win of the season and of the Raider Invitational.
Senior Lauren Yacobucci spoke about the team and their gameplay.
“I think that love for each other empowers us to play our best volleyball. I think our bond is like no other team, we’re definitely like sisters out there for sure,” Yacobucci said.
The home game not only celebrated a win for Raider Volleyball but allowed two WSU students to walk away with a year's worth of free tuition in a competition after requiring students to complete a WSU fall fest activity.
Physiology and neuroscience major Jonathan Castiglioni and nursing major Keri Keckman were the two lucky winners who both tied in the serving contest. However, two other contestants who did not win the competition did not walk away empty handed, receiving a $250 eCampus book voucher and a WSU and Coca-Cola fan pack as the third and fourth place winners.
The contest was held in efforts to get students excited for the fall semester while encouraging them to attend upcoming sporting events to support the Raiders.
Raider volleyball will be back in the Nutter Center Friday, Sept. 4 for the Tru by Hilton Beavercreek Invitational, where they will face off against Western Kentucky University (WKU) at 6 p.m.
