Nov. 6, 2009

Box Score

MACOMB, Ill. - Freshman Meghan Bray notched 16 kills, while sophomore Allison Bell and freshmen Brittany Holbrook and Amber Miehlke added 10 kills apiece as the Oakland University volleyball team (17-7, 10-5 Summit League) picked up a 3-2 win over Western Illinois (9-19, 5-11 Summit League) on Friday at Brophy Hall.

"I thought our team played with a lot of courage and a lot of effort," said OU head volleyball coach Rob Beam. "We really had to gut out a win here. Western Illinois played well at home, and they always do. They were keyed up to play the match. It was a good performance by both teams."

Western Illinois took a 25-20 win in the opening set, but Oakland stormed back winning 25-20 and 25-18 decisions in sets two and three. The Fighting Leathernecks tied the contest at two sets apiece with a 25-20 win in the fourth set, but Oakland dominated the fifth set, winning 15-7 to seal the match.

The win, coupled with IPFW's 3-0 loss to IUPUI earlier tonight, gives Oakland sole possession of second place in The Summit League.

Oakland held a .194 to .107 hitting advantage for the match, with OU hitting a match-high .381 in the fifth and final set to WIU's -.095 percentage. WIU was held to just one kill in the final set. OU also hit .321 in the third set. Individually, Bell led OU's hitting efficiency with a .400 percentage.

The Golden Grizzlies turned in a stellar defensive performance, as junior Brittany Dunn led the team with 25 digs. Freshman Alli Kirk added 16 digs, while sophomore Ashley Nevelle had a 15-dig performance. However, the Golden Grizzlies were most impressive with their blocking effort during the match, turning in a total of 13 team blocks. Holbrook had a hand in six of the blocks, turning in one solo block with five block assists. Bray and sophomore Jenna Lange also added four block assists, while Bell had one block solo with three block assists.

"Our team's trademark has been kill production the whole season," added Beam. "It's something we want to continue to maintain, but we're constantly training defense and blocking. It's been a big point of emphasis for us and it's nice to win a match based on the defensive side of the ball. It helps us become a more complete volleyball team when we can execute both phases of the match and win."

Nevelle led all players with 49 assists.

Oakland will play its final Summit League road match of the season on Saturday, Nov. 7, as they travel to IUPUI for a 7 p.m. match.

"I'm looking forward to the match," said Beam. "These two teams are competing for second place in the league, and we know that it's going to be a fight. We're looking forward to a great match."

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