GREEN BAY, Wis. - One of the biggest games in recent Green Bay volleyball history lived up to the hype Friday night with the Phoenix playing a five-set thriller against the Wright State Raiders. Green Bay held a 2-1 lead, but the Raiders - who came into the match winners of 14 in a row - came roaring back and took the fourth and fifth sets, handing GB a 2-3 loss.
Green Bay dropped to 19-8 overall and 10-3 in Horizon League play. The Raiders improved to 20-3 and remain undefeated with a 12-0 conference record. Northern Kentucky defeated Milwaukee, which slid Green Bay to third in the standings. The top two teams receive a bye in the Horizon League Championships.
Alexandra Zakutney led the Phoenix with 27 kills and 18 digs. She was the only player between both teams to tally 20 or more kills. Shannon Coughlin added 14 kills, and on the defensive end, Annelise Sparks chipped in with 26 digs, while Angie Gromos had four blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | It was back-and-forth to begin the first set. Zakutney racked up four kills to score four of Green Bay's first 10 points. The largest lead would be five in favor of Wright State, but the Phoenix were never out of it. WSU had a 23-19 lead before the Phoenix ripped off five consecutive points to take a 24-23 lead, marking the first of two times GB would have the Raiders at set point. Another Zakutney kill would put Green Bay up 25-24, but the Raiders had an answer of their own, getting kills from Taylor Bransfield and Sam Ott to give WSU a 27-25 set win and a 1-0 advantage.
SET 2 | Green Bay responded in the second thanks to another superb effort from Zakutney, who assisted or scored on eight of GB's points. It was tug-of-war again for most of the set, and like the first, extra points were needed to win. The Phoenix got things going at the end, and Coughlin was part of the attack. She notched two kills to aid a 6-2 run that ended the set, with Green Bay winning 27-25 and tying the match at one apiece.
SET 3 | The Phoenix would take command of the match in the third set, pulling out to a 7-4 lead. Cora Behnke and Gromos had a kill before the Shannon Coughlin show started, with the senior recording three kills during a 5-1 run. WSU would make another run, eventually taking an 11-9 lead, but the Phoenix responded out of a timeout with a 10-3 spurt to go ahead 19-14. Zakutney tacked on three kills down the stretch to help the Phoenix win 25-20 and hold a 2-1 lead.
SET 4 | Wright State would come out scorching in the fourth and finish the set with a .344 hitting percentage compared to GB's -.026. Green Bay had six more attack attempts, and Zakutney had four kills, but Bransfield had two blocks and five kills for the Raiders. Wright State had a good defense but was assisted by eight Green Bay attack errors. A 12-1 run early in the set helped WSU tie the match at two.
SET 5 | The Raiders would keep the momentum going in the final set, quickly taking a 5-1 lead. An attack error on Callie Martin gave Green Bay a brief spark, but Wright State went on a 6-0 run, pulling away for a 12-2 lead. The Phoenix would attempt a comeback, narrowing the deficit to 13-9, but Ott finished the match with two kills, giving the Phoenix a 2-3 loss.
GAME NOTES
» Zakutney's 27 kills were one shy of tying her career-high of 28 set back on 2/23/21.
» Calli Gentry had a match-high three aces and a team-high 50 assists from Gentry.
» Zakutney had a career-high 31.5 points.
» Sparks had a team-high 26 digs.
» Bransfield had a team-high 19 kills and 24.5 points for the Raiders.
COMING UP
Green Bay has a quick turnaround and a big game tomorrow when they host Northern Kentucky at 4 p.m. The winner of the match will hold the number two seed. Click here to purchase tickets.
###
For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics and Green Bay Volleyball, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Follow us on Twitter: @GBPhoenix and @GBPhoenixVB.
Follow us on Instagram: @GBPhoenix and @GBPhoenixVB.
Like Green Bay Phoenix Athletics and Green Bay Phoenix Volleyball on Facebook.
---GreenBayPhoenix.com---
