“When you get in that kind of match and you win the first set — just like in any sport — you always want more. That was the mindset,” coach Travers Green said.
“The entire match, I thought we did an excellent job with our defense. Louisville is a fantastic team. I think they play with a pretty big competitive spirit, and I thought we matched it, if not exceeded it.”
Wright State, playing in the NCAA tourney for the fourth time in five years, battled for two-plus hours but fell to second-seeded Louisville, 22-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-20, before 5,035 fans at the KFC Yum! Center.
The Cardinals (25-4) reached the NCAA semifinals last year and were national runner-ups the year before that, and their size across the net ultimately was too much.
They took control in the second set, allowing only seven kills and forcing eight errors.
But the Raiders (21-11), who had a nine-game winning streak snapped, had one last surge in the fourth set, making a charge to cut a sizeable deficit to 21-18 and forcing the Cardinals to burn a timeout.
In their three previous tourney trips, they were eliminated by Purdue, Texas and Georgia Tech in straight sets.
“I just wanted to leave tonight’s match and be really proud of what we put forth, and I could not be more proud of what we did,” Green said.
“To play a program that has had so much success — and we were in the arena with them. We were tooth and nail, fighting, scratching, clawing, giving everything we had. That’s what it’s all about.”
Sam Ott had 18 kills and 12 digs to lead the way, while Horizon League player of the year Callie Martin had 10 kills and 11 digs.
Katie Meyer had 42 of the team’s 48 assists, and Jenny Wessling had a team-high 26 digs.
But the Raiders took a .234 hitting percentage into the match and had only a .084 mark against the Cardinals.
Martin, Meyer and Megan Alders are fifth-year players and finish their careers with a 113-31 record, winning three of the last four league tourneys and four of the last five regular-season crowns.
Green said Ott and other seniors have told him they’re returning.
“I’m just so grateful to have the opportunity to coach the ‘fifth years.’ Every player, as they exit the program, wants to leave it better than they found it, and they have,” Green said.
“I’m really proud of them and everything they’ve done to raise the standard for our program.”
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