MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — The Oakland women's volleyball team opened its long-awaited 2021 season with a thrilling five-set victory at Robert Morris (26-28, 25-12, 25-22, 22-25, 15-11) Monday evening inside the UPMC Events Center. 

Patti Cesarini and Brittany Welch led the Golden Grizzly offense with a match-high 16 kills each. Jamie Walling tallied 14 kills and added eight digs and three block assists. Jessica Reidl tabbed eight kills at a .412 clip. 

Defensively, senior libero Lindsay Wightman totaled a match-best 33 digs to go along with a team-high four aces and one assist. AnnaBelle Tomei notched an impressive 27 assists and 11 digs, while Madison Ross tallied 22 assists. Another freshman in Libby Cleaveland garnered a team-high four block assists. 

After Robert Morris (0-1, 0-1 HL) took the opening set, 28-26, OU (1-0, 1-0 HL) fought back to win the next two frames. Oakland hit .292 in the second set to win in dominating fashion, 25-12. The Golden Grizzlies took advantage of five Colonial errors and tallied 12 kills, three aces, and two blocks in a winning third set. 

RMU broke an 11-all tie to prevail in the fourth set and force a match-deciding fifth set. OU opened the final set with a 9-5 advantage and never relinquished its lead to clinch its first victory of the 2021 season. 

As a team, the Golden Grizzlies outperformed RMU in kills (62-to-51), aces (11-to-7), assists (54-to-46), digs (90-to-87), and total blocks (8.0-to-7.0). OU's 11 aces were its most in a single match in over two years, as Oakland last recorded the mark against Belmont on Sept. 27, 2019. 

The Golden Grizzlies close their series against the Colonials tomorrow at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.