Wright State, Ladd get NCAA win — Texas was next

The Wright State volleyball team made more history on Wednesday night, and did so in dominating fashion. 

The Raiders swept Samford in three sets in the opening round of the 2020 NCAA Championship in Omaha, Nebraska to capture the first NCAA win in program history.

Playing a major role on the team this year is Mallory Ladd (Clay), a 5-foot-6 defensive specialist and outside hitter, who was named to the Horizon League all-tournament team. She helped the Raiders to a league championship with an unblemished 15-0 record and then they swept through the league tournament.

 The Raiders, 17-1 overall, advanced to take on Texas on Thursday night. It was the first meeting all-time between Wright State and Texas on the volleyball court.

 In addition to being the first NCAA win for the Raiders, the victory was also the first time a Horizon League team has won a match in the NCAA tournament.

Wright State was in control all night, winning 25-20, 25-12, 25-15. The Raiders finished the night with a .304 team hitting percentage, committing only 10 errors over the three sets while holding Samford to a .149 team hitting mark, including a -0.033 percentage in the second set.

Ladd thanks some of her local coaches and programs for getting her where she is today.

“The end of my club career I played at Toledo Dynamic Volleyball, which was a big club at the time run by Carrie Wagoner, who is now the head coach at Clay. I would say club and obviously at Clay, (former) coach (Dave) Conley was obviously there, and I got a lot of great opportunities there. Obviously, in club, getting that exposure, I just have to give them a lot of credit to put me where I am. Obviously, my family, and my dad (Jeff) helped so much with my recruiting process,” Ladd said.

 

Falcons’ season ends

The Bowling Green State University volleyball team, led by 5-10 junior outside hitter Katelyn Meyer (Eastwood), saw their historic campaign come to a close on Wednesday night. 

After capturing the Mid-American Conference regular season title and the MAC tournament championship, the Falcons competed in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2012. Facing Weber State, the Orange and Brown ended up on the short end of a 3-1 final. 

On the attack, The Falcons saw a trio of players reach double-digits with Jacqueline Askin leading the way with 16 kills. Meyer followed closely with 11 and Katie Kidwell was just behind her with 10 of her own. Meyer finished the season with 327 kills and went over 1,000 for her career late in the season.

Despite the loss, the Falcons cap off a season that included the best start in BGSU Athletic Department history at 18-0, the most consecutive wins in program history at 18 and just the third NCAA tournament bid in program history. The 22-2 record results in a .917 winning percentage which will go into the record book as the best season ever recorded in BGVB history. 

(— includes material written by WSU and BGSU SID)

 

 

Category:

The Press

The Press
1550 Woodville Road
Millbury, OH 43447

(419) 836-2221

Email Us

Facebook Twitter

Ohio News Media Association