DAYTON, Ohio – For a second consecutive year, the Green Bay volleyball team is championship game-bound! The Phoenix took down the number one-seeded Wright State Raiders 3-2 (25-20, 12-25, 24-26, 25-23, 15-12) Saturday on the road at CJ McLin Gymnasium.
GB's attack was paced by Katie Schulz, who finished with 20 kills on the day. Diane Pichelman added another 12. Defensively, Green Bay had three players reach double figures in digs, including Abby Gardner's 23, 15 from Kendall Schara, and 14 more from Calli Gentry. From the front row, Olivia Neumann contributed 11 blocks and Danilynn Schell added six rejections.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The opening set was a back-and-forth battle until Green Bay started to pull away late. Kills by Pichelman and Schulz helped extend the lead to 21-14, and a kill by Schell gave the Phoenix a 25-20 set victory.
SET 2 | Wright State sprinted to an 8-1 lead in set number two behind three kills from Sam Ott. GB pulled back to within four after a Gentry service ace to make it 11-7, but Wright State responded with an 11-1 run and punctuated a dominant set with a kill by Elena Dubuc, tying the match at one apiece.
SET 3 | Green Bay jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set before WSU crept back to take a 13-12 lead. It was a battle until the Raiders scored four out of the last five points to win the set 26-24 and a 2-1 lead in the match.
SET 4 | The fourth set was another nail-biter, and after Wright State began with an early 6-3 lead, Green Bay came back to eventually score four out of five and take a 12-11 advantage, highlighted by a kill from Schulz. Neither team led by more than three for the rest of the set. Down 23-20, Green Bay ripped off five consecutive points, getting two more kills from Schulz and three attack errors on the Raiders, forcing a fifth set.
SET 5 | The Phoenix raced out to a 5-0 lead, but Wright State didn't let Green Bay run away, eventually cutting the deficit to 11-8 after a kill by Mya Ayro. Schulz tallied her 20th kill of the game to send the contest to match point. An attack error on Ott was the game-ender, and Green Bay took the match in five sets, returning to the Horizon League Championship Game for a second consecutive season.
GAME NOTES
» Schara had a match-high four aces in the win.
» Olivia Neumann had a match-high 11 blocks.
» Green Bay never trailed on the way to winning the fourth set 15-12.
» GB attackers were helped by a team-high 43 assists from Gentry.
FOR ALL THE MARBLES
Green Bay's opponent in the championship game will be three-seeded Cleveland State. In two matches against the Vikings in the regular season, both at Cleveland State, Green Bay lost 1-3 and 2-3. The match will begin at 1 PM central time, streaming live on ESPN+ and with live stats available.
###
For the latest and most up-to-date information on Green Bay Athletics and Green Bay Volleyball, please visit GreenBayPhoenix.com.
Follow us on social media: Twitter/X, Instagram, and like Green Bay Phoenix Volleyball on Facebook.
To receive Green Bay Volleyball news via email, please fill out this form.
---GreenBayPhoenix.com---
