Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Allie Matters is the architect behind the rapid rise of the Wright State volleyball program. But the third-year coach admits she still has room to grow.
When the Raiders trailed in a match for the first time all season — facing a 2-1 deficit in the Horizon League championship against UIC with an NCAA berth on the line — Matters could feel herself slipping into panic mode and needed to lean on others to keep from wigging out.
She has one calming influence on the bench in assistant Dan O’Keefe and one on the floor in two-time conference defensive player of the year Jenna Story.
“In the Horizon League tournament, there was a lot of emotion, but I knew Jenna’s heartrate wasn’t going up much. She was like, ‘Hey guys, what’s going on with everybody? We’ve got stuff to do,’” Matters said.
“Dan is someone who brings me back to earth. And Jenna is someone I talk to before every set. I’ll say, ‘We’ve got to get it together.’ And she’ll shrug her shoulders and say, ‘Everything is fine.’”
