Dayton volleyball plays short-handed on opening weekend but wins two matches

Dayton lost the first set of its first match 25-20 but won the next three sets 25-21, 26-24, 25-18.

“We were unsure what it was going to look like this weekend,” Horsmon said Tuesday. “To beat a solid Cincinnati team, that was pretty good considering everything that was happening.”

Dayton then lost 3-1 to Florida State and beat Illinois State 3-2 in matches that also took place at UC’s Fifth Third Arena.

Horsmon hopes to get Almodovar back next week and Smith the week after that. Dayton will be without both again this weekend when it plays Arizona State, No. 5 Georgia Tech and Florida International in Atlanta.

“This is where we have to really challenge ourselves early and try to build our RPI,” Horsmon said. “Obviously, we were hoping to be a little more healthy going into this weekend. We’ll see how we play. We’re just trying to get better. We’ll see what players step up and how we grow.”

Dayton finished 26-6 last season and 16-0 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. It earned its 16th NCAA tournament appearance and beat Marquette 3-1 in the first round before losing 3-2 to Purdue.

Dayton lost three-time A-10 Player of the Year Jamie Peterson and A-10 Libero of the Year Maura Collins as well as outside hitter Mahalia Swink and defensive specialist Elizabeth House.

Horsmon said he knew Dayton would be young and unproven but talented this season. The Flyers were picked as the A-10 preseason favorites earlier this month, receiving eight of 10 first-place votes. Virginia Commonwealth received the other two.

Dayton’s top returners are: Almodovar, a first-team A-10 selection from Noblesville, Ind.; the A-10 Setter of the Year, redshirt junior Livie Sandt, of St. Louis; redshirt sophomore middle blocker Alayna Yates, of Cedar Falls, Iowa; and redshirt sophomore middle blocker Lindsey Winner, of Versailles.

Another top returner is redshirt junior middle blocker Amelia Moore, of Ocean Springs, Miss. She earned an all-conference second-team honor last season and was named the A-10 Player of the Week on Monday after averaging 2.23 kills, 1.23 blocks and 3.12 points per set in three matches.

“Amelia had a great weekend,” Horsmon said. “I don’t think we win those two matches without her.”

Dayton almost pushed Florida State, which received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll, to a decisive fifth set. The Flyers trailed 24-23 in the fourth set before giving up the game-winning point.

“We were extremely hot and cold this weekend,” Horsmon said. “When we played well, we looked pretty good. We were solid. When we were bad, we were really bad.”

The victory against Cincinnati was the 500th of Horsmon’s career. This is his 14th season at Dayton and the eighth season of his second stint. He coached the Flyers from 2003-07, then spent six seasons at Maryland before returning to UD in 2014.

Asked what the milestone victory means, Horsmon said, “It means I’m really stinking old.”

Horsmon thanked the assistant coaches who have worked for him over the years for helping him get to 500.

“The one good thing I do is hire really good coaches,” he said. “I appreciate them, and 500 is more of a reflection of them than me.”