The Norse are down 2-0 late in the third set with a score of 24-19. Playing with some desperation, Katie Noschang railed the ball back over to Wright State, as their offense got set quickly.
The ball was hit up by Defensive Specialist Ella Gaona and found Katie Sowko, who jumped off the ground going for the spike. She hits the ball, “Bang,” and it goes flying, hitting off the fingertips of Sydney Bray. The Norse tried to track the ball out of the air, but it was too late.
“Boom,” the ball hit the ground as the Wright State bench cleared, piling on each other. The Raiders are Horizon League Champions, beating the Norse 3-0, ending their historic season. NKU ended the season in the championship, with an overall record of 22-9 and 17-1 in conference play, while being Horizon League regular-season champions.
The first set was controlled by the Raiders as they got their way on the offensive and defensive side, winning the set 25-18.
The second set wasn’t any different as Wright State hit a .231 hitting percentage, keeping up their dominance from the first set, winning 25-15.
The third set was like the others; NKU couldn’t contain Wright State. They attempted to keep it close down the stretch, but lost 25-19.
Wright States Outside Hitter Mya Ayro didn’t shy away in the biggest moment. She finished with a match-best 14 kills and also added three blocks. She was ultra-efficient, finishing with a .650 hitting percentage.
Ayro ended her tournament by punching her ticket to the NCAA tournament while having Horizon League Championship MVP honors.
Freshman outside Luci Heid was the bright spot for the Norse as she posted 13 kills on a .370 hitting percentage.
NKU’s All Horizon League first teamers struggled, which was unusual for them. Allison Risley and Bray had six kills each. Bray had four digs but had 10 errors. Risley finished with seven digs, not playing like her usual self. Lastly, Abby Pickard led NKU with 32 assists.
The Raiders out-hit the Norse .313-.168 in the match. They bested the Norse in every major statistical category, including aces, 7-1, and blocks, 9-1.
Head Coach Liz Hart gave her flowers to Wright State in the emotional loss.
“Obviously not the way we wanted it to go tonight, but credit to Wright State. They played outstanding. They’re finally healthy. They’ve been battling a lot of injuries this year, and I could tell when they were playing yesterday, they were feeling good and had a lot of energy, and their offense hit first, super high percentage tonight, Maya played incredible, and we had a really difficult time stopping her, and on our end, we struggled with the serving pass game, which really made it challenging offensively,” Hart said.
This was one of Hart’s favorite seasons in her 16-year career so far, saying her team is thoughtful, considerate, selfless and good teammates.
Hart got emotional talking about her team and what it meant to her and her team to host the tournament.
“Hosting the tournament was something that we weren’t sure we’re going to be able to do. So as we talked about yesterday, we’re so grateful, grateful to the administration, the university support to be able to pull this off, and then to experience it two days in a row was something our players are never going to forget. This is a memory they’re going to have for a lifetime. Hearing the NKU and Norse chants, seeing our alumni, seeing our fans, it’s incredibly special, and we really appreciate the opportunity to do that,” Coach Heart said as tears started to roll down her cheeks.
The Norse have a lot to look forward to, as their team is young and will keep its core intact. Their first teamers, Risley, Bray and Pickard still have eligibility, while also keeping Ava Hoying, Ivey Stocks and Daisy Cluxton, who were all pivotal players this year.
On top of that, having many more younger players who can make an impact next year. There are some graduating players like Jaya Parker, Raelyn Sanders and Lucy Cluxton, who had a stellar four-year career in Highland Heights.