Wright State volleyball: Raiders return key pieces from championship team

Travers Green has built a consistent winner at Wright State. His volleyball program has won three Horizon League tournament championships and three regular-season titles in the four seasons since he was hired in 2022.

Before this run, Wright State had topped the regular-season standings twice (2019 and 2020) and won one tournament title (2020).

“There's not a guarantee that just because we've won in the past that we're going to continue to do that,” Green said. “We're fortunate to have people that have been a part of that success. They've seen other people lead in that space. They learn through that process. That's a big thing that attracts people to Wright State. As people get integrated into our program, they understand that this is their program. They commit here because they want to be a part of a successful program. Now they become the pieces that allow us to sustain that success.”

Wright State opens the 2026 season at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, against Santa Clara at the Nutter Center in the Raider Invitational. The Raiders then play Eastern Illinois at 1 p.m. Saturday and Marquette at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The event also features high school matches involving Bellbrook, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and Centerville. Varsity teams will play at the Nutter Center. Junior varsity teams will play at C.J. McLin Gymnasium.

“This is the first year that the NCAA has allowed for this to happen, so it’s uncharted territory,” Green said. “But in terms of the growth of the sport, it’s a fantastic opportunity for high school teams to compete in the Nutter Center.”

Wright State finished 21-11 overall and 13-5 in the Horizon League last season. It finished second to Northern Kentucky but beat the Norse 3-0 to earn an NCAA tournament berth for the fifth time in five seasons.

Seven of the 10 players who saw action in the Horizon League final or in a 3-0 loss to Purdue in the NCAA tournament return this season.

Wright State was voted the preseason favorite in the Horizon League this season on Tuesday, Aug. 25.

“We return a lot of pieces from last year's group,” Green said, “and then we add some new pieces as well to that puzzle. I'm excited for the season. We played in a couple of exhibition matches. We explored different things to help with lineup decisions. I’m pleased with how we performed. But the real test comes when we start playing this opening weekend. We have a pretty tough non-conference schedule. Seeing how the group responds to those challenges will be a big test for us.”

Wright State returns four players who earned All-Horizon League honors last season.

Lauren Yacobucci, now a senior setter, and Reilly Zegunis, a senior middle blocker, made the first team.

“They've been core pieces for us,” Green said. “Reilly's played since her freshman year, and Lauren started her sophomore year. Both were early recruits for me as I took over the program, so it's been good to see their growth as volleyball players, but also more importantly as people as well. They’re obviously very experienced and very talented.

“Reilly's a very offensive middle. Lauren just does a really good job of running our offense. Two years ago, she led the country in assists per set. She's just really good with decisions. We've been trying to challenge her to go a little bit faster with our tempo, and she's done a really good job of accepting that challenge.”

Mya Ayro, now a senior outside hitter, and Katie Sowko, a junior outside hitter, made the second team.

“They've had some pretty good performances in the exhibitions,” Green said. “Both have had a couple of 20-kill-plus matches. They’ve been super effective for us.

“Mya's a powerful, aggressive attacker. She plays in what we would call our O-1 position. She's up at the setter more. She gets a lot of head turns with how much power she puts on the ball.

“Katie can score in her own right. She plays six rotations for us. She’s an elite passer and has always been consistent since her freshman year in that area. We really rely heavily on her from a ball-control standpoint.”

Among Wright State’s newcomers is Haidyn Sokoloski, who played softball the last four years. She spent two years at Oklahoma State and then two at Missouri.

“She entered the portal and sent us some video of her playing at a club that I know well,” Green said. “That caught my eye. We started talking to the people there, and they said a lot of really positive things about her. She adds a lot of value from her experience of playing four years of high-level college softball. Anytime you can add someone with that experience and maturity, they’ll always have a positive impact on the program.”

Green expects freshman Abbey Knight, an outside hitter, to play a big role after seeing her performances in exhibition matches against Cincinnati and Miami.

“She's done a really good job of adding more dimensions to our offense in the back-row attack,” he said. “Her passing in general has been really solid for us.”

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