“He’s definitely hard on us, but in the end, that’s what we need, and that’s what you need from a head coach. Even when we’re playing good, it’s one of those things where with him it’s never enough. There are still things that we can continue to improve on. His relentless pursuit of continuing to get better, no matter how well we’re playing, is what separates him from others.”
Middle blocker Alayna Yates, a fifth-year senior from Cedar Falls, Iowa, praised Horsmon’s experience and his expectation of excellence.
“That’s something that you know when you’re being recruited — that Dayton sits at the top of the A-10,” she said, “and that’s something that we’re always going to want to strive for. So I think coach Horsmon recruits well, and then brings in girls that have that trust, that bond, and we build that really well here. That is what propels us to be great, too.”
Dayton (28-1, 18-0) is ranked 18th in the country. It takes a 21-match winning streak into the A-10 tournament. The Flyers have the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. They will play No. 4 seed Davidson or No. 5 George Washington in the semifinals at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Davidson (15-14, 11-7) and George Washington (19-12, 9-9) play in the first round at 1 p.m. Friday at the Frericks Center. No. 3 Loyola Chicago (18-11, 13-5) plays No. 6 Saint Louis (11-19, 6-12) at 3:30 p.m.
This will be the first time since the 2020 season, which was delayed until the spring of 2021 because of the pandemic, the A-10 has played the tournament at the Frericks Center.
“We love playing here,” Horsmon said. “It’s a great atmosphere. We have some of the best crowds and fans in the country, so we’re really excited to be the No. 1 seed and have an opportunity to win a championship.”
Dayton swept Saint Louis last weekend to finish the A-10 schedule with an 18-0 mark for the second straight season. Dayton has won four of the last five A-10 regular-season championships and 17 titles since 1998.
Dayton has won seven A-10 regular-season championships in the last 11 seasons under Horsmon. He also coached from the program for five seasons (2003-07) earlier in his career and led the Flyers to four regular-season championships in that span.
Dayton has been just as successful in the A-10 tournament, winning 16 times since 2003. All but four of those have come with Horsmon as coach.
Dayton’s roster includes the A-10 leader in kills: fifth-year senior outside hitter Lexie Almodovar (4.92 per set). Dayton also has the A-10 leader in assists: senior setter Alyssa Miller (10.85 per set). Junior middle blocker Lianna Sarkissian ranks third in blocks (1.16 per set). Junior libero Karissa Kaminski ranks third in digs (4.18 per set).
“We have a really good group,” Horsmon said. “Hard working. Lots of character. We have a lot of mature, older players on this team that have played for a lot of years and played at a really high level. So it’s kind of a culmination of a lot of talent and a lot of hard work.”
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