Oct. 9, 2009
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ROCHESTER, Mich. - Freshman Brittany Holbrook turned in an impressive .682 hitting percentage with 16 kills and one error on 22 swings, and senior Adrienne Leone turned in a 23-kill effort, but it was not enough for the Oakland University volleyball team (12-4, 5-3 Summit League) as IUPUI (13-5, 5-3 Summit League) rallied to take a 3-2 victory over Oakland on Friday at the Athletics Center O'Rena.
"I think this was a disappointing effort for our program," said Oakland University head coach Rob Beam. "This was a match where we were competing for second place and I don't think we came out with any measure of seriousness or intent on securing that position. I think (IUPUI) was hungry. That was a team that went to the conference tournament last year. They clearly came in here with the intent of moving past us in the standings, and we kind of game away the home court advantage from the beginning and all of a sudden we were on the defensive. We need to learn from this experience and grow from it as a team so it doesn't repeat as we move forward."
The Golden Grizzlies found themselves behind early, as IUPUI raced out to a 25-15 win in the opening set. However, the Golden Grizzlies rallied and took a 2-1 match lead after a 26-24 win in the second set and a 25-15 win in the third set. However, the Jaguars rallied with a 25-15 win in set four, and closed out the match with a 15-10 decision in the fifth and final set.
Oakland was led offensively by the play of Leone and Holbrook, as the two combined for 39 of Oakland's 60 kills. The Golden Grizzlies also added six points off blocks. Holbrook's hitting percentage marks the second-highest total in OU history, behind the .750 percentage mark set by Tess Pierce, who notched 15 kills on 20 swings against Toledo during the 2001 season.
"They were certainly the bright spots for our team. They combined for about 67 percent of our kills. The game of volleyball is about point scoring and your ability to do that, and they were huge for us tonight."
Sophomore Ashley Nevelle dished out 46 assists with 11 digs, while junior Brittany Dunn led OU with 23 digs. Also posting double-digit dig numbers were Leone with 15 digs and freshman Alli Kirk with 12.
IUPUI held a .208 to .197 hitting advantage for the match, hitting a match-high .471 in the final set. IUPUI hit below .100 twice, while OU hit a match-low .114 in the opening set and a match-best .344 in the third set.
Oakland will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 10, as the Golden Grizzlies play host to Western Illinois at the Athletics Center O'Rena. The match is scheduled for 5 p.m.
"We've got a very competitive match tomorrow," said Beam. "Western Illinois is every bit as good as IUPUI, and in some phases of the game they may challenge us more."
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