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ROCHESTER, Mich. -​ The Oakland volleyball team (22-9) will make its inaugural appearance in the NCAA Tournament when the Golden Grizzlies take on No. 13 seed Kentucky (26-5) Friday, Dec. 5 at 7:30 p.m. ET in the Louisville Regional.

Friday's contest will be the first-ever matchup between Oakland and Kentucky.

Kentucky, ranked 15th in the AVCA Coaches Poll, finished second in the SEC with a 14-3 conference record. The Wildcats are led by Lauren O'Conner's 3.28 kills per set clip, which paces Kentucky's attack that ranks 10th in the NCAA in kills per set (14.3 kps). As a team, the Wildcats are hitting .227 on the year.

The Golden Grizzlies, winners of the Horizon League's tournament and regular season titles, are led by Cassie Pelloni (3.0 kps) and Melissa Deatsch (2.9 kps) on offense and Taylor Humm (4.5 digs per set) on defense.

The winner of Kentucky/Oakland will face the winner of Ohio State (21-11) vs. Lipscomb (21-8) in the second round Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.

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