DAYTON — Winners of three of the last four regular Horizon League championships with a trio of NCAA tournament appearances, the Wright State volleyball program and head coach Travers Green announced its 2023 schedule on Thursday afternoon. The schedule that includes nine conference matchups inside McLin Gymnasium and Raiders will again host the Tru by Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational in September.
The Raiders will visit Toledo for their lone exhibition match ahead of the regular season, when they will open with three-straight tournament weekends on the road at hosts Louisville, Bowling Green and Dayton. Wright State kicks off its home slate with the Tru by Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational on September 14 and 16, taking on former conference foe Butler in the home opener before a matchup with Cincinnati.
The Raiders begin Horizon League play with two of the first three matches on the road, with the HL home opener coming September 23 against Northern Kentucky inside McLin Gymnasium. Wright State will never be on the road in Horizon League play more than one weekend at a time but will have a three-match homestand in McLin in mid-October, hosting IUPUI, Purdue Fort Wayne and Youngstown State.
Wright State will close the regular season with four of the final six matches away from home, beginning October 27 and 28 at Cleveland State and Oakland. The Raiders host Milwaukee and Green Bay on November 3 and 4 before ending the slate November 10 and 11 at Purdue Fort Wayne and IUPUI.
The Horizon League Championship will take place November 17-19 at the site of the regular season champion. The Raiders and McLin Gymnasium have taken on hosting duties for the 2019, Spring 2021 and 2023 championships.
Last fall Wright State posted a 28-4 overall record, including a perfect 18-0 mark in HL play, on the way to their third trip to the NCAA Championship in the last four seasons. The Raiders own the only two undefeated League seasons in Horizon League history (Spring 2021 and 2022).
Former Wright State standouts Jenna Story and Lainey Stephenson captured the HL Defensive Player of the Year and Setter of the Year honors, respectively, last fall while returning Raiders Taylor Bransfield and Callie Martin joining Stephenson and Story as first team performers. Green was tabbed Horizon League Coach of the Year and Aaliyah Byers was named to the All-Freshman Team.
OPPONENT INFO
Toledo (Aug. 19, Toledo, OH; exhibition)
– Toledo finished the 2022 season 19-13 overall and 11-7 in MAC play. The Rockets season ended in the NIVC, falling to Western Carolina. The Raiders lead the all-time series 16-3, including a 3-0 victory in 2019.
Cardinal Classic
Washington State (Aug. 25, Louisville, KY; season opener)
– Washington State had a strong showing in its 2022 season, compiling a 23-10 record and a 14-6 record in Pac-12 play. The Cougars defeated UNLV in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to San Diego in the second round. This year will be the first all-time meeting between the Raiders and the Cougars.
Troy (Aug. 26, Louisville, KY)
– Troy finished its 2022 campaign with a record of 18-13, which included an 11-5 mark in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans were invited to the NIVC where they fell to UT Martin to end their season. The Raiders hold the edge in the all-time series, 5-1.
Louisville (Aug. 27, Louisville, KY)
– Louisville finished as the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball runner-up, compiling a 31-3 overall record and a 17-1 record in ACC play. The Cardinals fell to Texas in the NCAA Championship Match last season. The Raiders a 6-2 edge over the Cardinals in the eight all-time matches between the two teams.
Hampton Inn Invitational
Texas A&M (Aug. 31, Bowling Green, OH)
– Texas A&M encountered its first losing season since 2017, finishing 13-16 (5-13 in the SEC). The Aggies did end the season on a high note, defeating Missouri on the road to round out the 2022 season. The Raiders will look to even the all-time series, with the Aggies currently holding a narrow 1-0 lead.
Loyola Chicago (Sept. 1, Bowling Green, OH)
– Loyola Chicago finished the 2022 season as Atlantic 10 Champions and received a berth to the NCAA tournament, where they fell to Kentucky. The Ramblers compiled a 25-6 overall record, including their 17-1 mark in conference play. The Raiders trail in the all-time series, 20-32.
Bowling Green (Sept. 2, Bowling Green, OH)
– Bowling Green went 22-10 overall with a 15-3 mark in MAC play during the 2022 season. After winning the MAC Championship, the Falcons saw their season come to a close in the first round of the NCAA tournament in a loss to Western Kentucky. The Falcons hold the edge in the all-time series, 20-11.
Dayton Tournament
UIC (Sept. 8, Dayton, OH)
– UIC notched a 22-10 overall record and a 13-5 conference record in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Flames fell to Drake in the MVC semifinal match to end their 2022 season. The Raiders will look to inch closer in the all-time series against their former Horizon League foe, with the Flames leading 37-28.
Ball State (Sept. 8, Dayton, OH)
– A season ago, Ball State finished as the Mid-American Conference runner-up and received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The Cardinals fell to Marquette in the first round of the NCAA tournament, but not before recording a 24-9 record overall and 15-3 mark in the MAC. The Cardinals lead the all-time series, 14-8.
Dayton (Sept. 9, Dayton, OH)
– The 2022 season saw the Dayton finish as the runner-up in the Atlantic 10 conference. The Flyers tallied 20 victories and 14 defeats overall, including a 12-6 record in conference play. The Raiders swept the Flyers last year to come within one game of tying up the all-time series, a series the Flyers lead 31-30.
Tru by Hilton Dayton Beavercreek Invitational
Butler (Sept. 14, McLin Gym)
– Butler finished the 2022 season above .500 for the first time since 2017. Butler finished 16-15 overall and 10-8 in Big East play. The Bulldogs fell to Marquette in the Big East quarterfinals in their season finale. Butler holds the all-time series lead with a record of 32-21 against the Raiders.
Cincinnati (Sept. 16, McLin Gym)
– Cincinnati finished the 2022 campaign with two straight wins on the way to an overall record of 11-19 (9-11 in the AAC). The Raiders will face off with the Bearcats for the 33rd time in program history, with the Bearcats winning 21 of the 32 previous matches.
Robert Morris (Sept. 19, Moon Township, PA / Oct. 24, McLin Gym)
– Robert Morris went 9-21 during the 2022 season, with a 2-13 record in Horizon League play. The Raiders bested the Colonials in all six sets played between the two teams in 2022. The Raiders are undefeated all-time against the Colonials, holding a 8-0 advantage.
Northern Kentucky (Sept. 23, McLin Gym / Oct. 21, Highland Heights, KY)
– Northern Kentucky finished the 2022 season as the Horizon League runner-up. After a 1-5 start NKU went on to win 17 of its next 25 matches to finish 18-13 overall. A 15-3 Horizon League record led to a No. 2 seed for the Horizon League tournament, where the Raiders defeated the Norse in the championship match. The Raiders won all three matches last year between the two teams, pulling closer in the all-time series. The Norse lead the series, 24-20.
Youngstown State (Sept. 26, Youngstown, OH / Oct. 17, McLin Gym)
– A season ago, Youngstown State saw double digits in the win column for the first time since 2015. The Penguins finished 14-16, including an 8-10 record in the Horizon League. The Raiders swept the series in 2022 to extend their all-time series lead to 41-12.
Oakland (Sept. 29, McLin Gym / Oct. 28, Rochester, MI)
– Oakland finished the 2022 season with an 11-19 overall record and 7-11 record in Horizon League play. The Grizzlies defeated IUPUI on the road in the 2022 season finale. Two victories for the Raiders last year extended their all-time series lead to 18-12 against Oakland.
Cleveland State (Sept. 30, McLin Gym / Oct. 27, Cleveland, OH)
– Cleveland State finished the 2022 season on a five-game winning streak before falling to the Raiders in the Horizon League semifinals. The Vikings went 14-17 overall, while compiling a 10-8 record in the conference. The all-time series now sits at 42-37 in favor of the Raiders after three victories against the Vikings last season.
Green Bay (Oct. 6, Green Bay, WI / Nov. 4, McLin Gym)
– Green Bay notched an overall record of 23-11, including a 13-5 mark in the Horizon League. The Phoenix fell to Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League semifinals to end their season. The Raiders tallied two wins against the Phoenix last year to extend the all-time series lead to 37-31.
Milwaukee (Oct. 7, Milwaukee, WI / Nov. 3, McLin Gym)
– After a strong showing in 2021, the Milwaukee Panthers finished the 2022 campaign with a record of 10-20 (9-9 in the Horizon League). The streaky Panthers started off the season 1-10 before winning nine of their next 19 games. While the Raiders have won three of the last four matchups, the Panthers still hold a 44-23 all-time series lead.
IUPUI (Oct. 13, McLin Gym / Nov. 11, Indianapolis, IN)
– IUPUI finished the 2022 season with their highest win total since 2018 on their way to a 9-21 record. The Jaguars started off 9-8 before losing their last 13 games. The 13-game losing streak took place in Horizon League play, which saw IUPUI finish 3-15. The Raiders topped the Jaguars twice in 2022, now leading the all-time series 14-8.
Purdue Fort Wayne (Oct. 14, McLin Gym / Nov. 10, Fort Wayne, IN)
– Purdue Fort Wayne finished the 2022 campaign with an overall record of 9-20 (5-13 in the Horizon League. The Raiders completed a clean sweep of the Mastodons, winning all 6 sets across 2 matches. The two victories pushed the Raiders’ all-time series lead to 5 games (15-10).
