Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Wright State volleyball coach Allie Matters has had a can’t-miss motivational message the last few years, selling her players on how they’re overlooked and disrespected.
But after back-to-back Horizon League regular-season titles and two NCAA trips — including the first tourney win in conference history last season, ending an 0-for-29 spell — she’s ridden that underdog theme about as long as she can.
“My spiel has changed a little bit,” she said. “We talk about, ‘We always have a target on our backs. Everyone wants to beat us.’
“The shot our hitters have been working on the last three years, teams are now taking that away. We’re being heavily scouted and have had to make adjustments. We have to fight every match we’re in because teams REALLY want to beat us.”
The Raiders, though, are managing just fine, starting 4-2 with wins at Michigan State in the Spartan Invitational and over DePaul in the own event last weekend.
Of course, that’s no surprise. They returned two-time league defensive player of the year Jenna Story, setter of the year Lainey Stephenson, a pair of all-conference selections in Celia Powers and Teddie Sauer and the HL’s leading blocker last season in Nyssa Baker.
