DAYTON – The No. 22-ranked Dayton volleyball team is back in action with a short trip to Fairborn to take part in the Wright State Tru by Hilton Beavercreek Dayton Invitational this weekend, Sept. 6-8.
 
UD takes on host Wright State Friday night at 6 p.m., then plays Bowling Green on Saturday at 3 p.m., and wraps the weekend with a 12 p.m. start against UMBC on Sunday.
 
Unbeaten Opening Weekend
Dayton went 2-0 to open the 2024 campaign, topping UNI in a come-from-behind, five-set thriller in the season's lid lifter, then coming back to sweep FIU on Saturday.
 
We're Feelin' 22
For the second consecutive week, the Flyers are ranked No. 22 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. It is the first time since the 2013 season that the Flyers have begun the season ranked and is the fourth time in program history.
 
Smith's Strong Start
Redshirt senior Brooke Smith had a strong start to her final season as a Flyer, being named to the Dayton Flyer Invitational All-Tournament Team after averaging 2.38 kills/set and hitting at a .375 clip. The Leo, Ind. native set a new career-high with seven total blocks in UD's win over UNI, then turned in a career-best attack average of .688 with 12 kills in the Flyers' sweep of FIU.
 
Liana Sarkissian - Middle Maestro
After spending the 2023 season as both a right side and middle, Liana Sarkissian jumped into a starting role as a middle this season and has been fantastic for the Flyers.
The Greenwich, Conn. native finished the week with 16 kills and hit an impressive .448, while adding nine total blocks, three digs and an ace.
 
Closing in on 400
Dayton head coach Tim Horsmon, now in his 15th season as the Flyers' coach (2003-08; 2014-Present), sits just 23 wins away from 400 in his career at UD.
 
Horsmon, who is already the all-time winningest Dayton coach, has a 377-107 record while at the helm of the Flyers for an all-time winning percentage of .779. For his total 25-year career, Horsmon has a 553-271 record.
 
Chasing Down History
Fifth-year senior Lexie Almodovar has already etched her name in the Dayton record books, becoming the 18th AVCA All-American in program history a season ago, but has her sights set on more.
 
This season, the Noblesville, Ind. native looks to etch her name at the top of the all-time kills list in UDVB history. Almodovar currently sits in seventh with 1,461 kills and needs 315 to pass Flyer Hall of Famer Faye Barhorst atop the leaderboard.
 
Almodovar can also become the seventh Flyer ever to reach 1,000+ kills and 1,000+ digs, currently sitting just 53 digs short of the threshold.

About The Opponents
Wright State is 3-0 to start the 2024 season with wins over Appalachian State, Xavier and Ohio at the Bobcat Invitational. The Raiders went 21-11 a season ago with a Horizon League Championship.
 
BGSU is 1-2 to start the campaign, hosting Chicago State, Illinois and Cincinnati at the Best Western Invitational. The Falcons swept CSU and fell in straight sets to the Illini and Bearcats.
 
UMBC kicked off its 2024 slate at the Stacey Clark Classic, hosted by Purdue. The Terriers fell in four to UC Davis, then dropped straight-set matches to No. 8 Purdue and RV Kansas State.
 
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