ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland University volleyball program will head to Indianapolis for a Horizon League contest at IUPUI on Tuesday, Oct. 12. First serve at "The Jungle" is set for 6 p.m. The match will air on ESPN+. 

October 12 at IUPUI | 6 p.m. | Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats 

SCOUTING THE JAGUARS

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IUPUI is 2-17 overall and 0-8 in conference action. The Jaguars opened the season 2-3 but have lost their last 14 matches, including eight by way of a sweep. Freshman outside hitter Brianna Brown leads the team in kills (205) and kills per set (2.93), while sophomore setter Brooke Phillips has posted top marks in assists (442), assists per set (8.04), service aces (25), and aces per set (0.45).

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. IUPUI

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The Golden Grizzlies trail 18-11 in the all-time series. Since IUPUI joined the Horizon League in 2017, both programs have had three wins apiece. The schools last met during the 2019 season, where Oakland claimed the match in three sets, which marked the 200th win of head coach Rob Beam's career. 

LAST TIME OUT

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Oakland is coming off consecutive home wins over UIC (10/8) and Green Bay (10/10). The Golden Grizzlies rallied back in both matches, as they trailed 1-0 to the Flames and 2-1 against Green Bay. Graduate senior Jamie Walling combined for 32 kills, 15 digs, and five blocks over the two-match stretch. 

HOME SWEET HOME

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OU is 5-1 in matches at its home venue, the Athletics Center O'rena. The Golden Grizzlies have finished the season with a winning home record 10 times in the last 12 years. 

CONFERENCE MARKS

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Fifth-year senior Lindsay Wightman sits second in the HL and top-15 nationally in digs per set (5.27) and total digs (348). Senior Jessica Riedl ranks fourth in the league in blocks per set (0.97), total blocks (65), and hitting percentage (.290). Walling sits fifth in points (264.5) and points per set (3.95) to round out Golden Grizzlies in the top-five. As a team, the Golden Grizzlies rank second in the HL in hitting percentage (.227) and third in blocks per set (2.10), total blocks (141.0), and opponent hitting percentage (.197). 

2K IN THE HORIZON

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Wightman needs four digs to become the sixth individual in Horizon League history to reach 2,000 career digs. She has averaged over 5.0 digs per set in each of the last four seasons.

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK

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Wightman has broken multiple school records over the course of the 2021 campaign. Against Central Michigan (9/17), Wightman totaled 32 digs to surpass Lauren Duquette (2005-08) into the top spot for career digs in program history. The Lake Orion, Mich., native finished with 33 digs in Oakland's straight-set win at YSU (9/24), breaking the previous record mark that she and one other held. Last season, Wightman set a single-season school record in digs per set (6.31) and matched a school record for aces in a match (7). 

CHASING HISTORY

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Walling sits second in school history with 1,361 career kills. Four weekends ago, she surpassed Melissa Deatsch (2013-16), who previously ranked second with 1,244 kills. Hall of Honor inductee Meghan Bray (2009-12) leads the category with 1,578 career spikes. On the season, Walling leads the Golden Grizzlies in points (264.5), points per set (3.95), kills (223), and kills per set (3.33), while also holding top-three team marks in digs (121), digs per set (1.81), blocks (55.0), blocks per set (0.82), and service aces (12). 

LET'S GO STREAKING

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Dating back to the 2019 season, Riedl has recorded one or more blocks in 53 straight contests. She has totaled multiple blocks in all 18 matches this season, including a season-high six blocks at DePaul and YSU.

SHE'S KILLIN' IT

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Redshirt freshman Patti Cesarini ranks second on the team in kills per set (2.72) and total kills (182). In 34 career matches with the Golden Grizzlies, she has reached double-digit kills on 16 occasions, including nine times this season. In Oakland's five-set victory versus Green Bay (10/10), Cesarini posted a season-high 17 kills on 45 attempts. 

KERRA MEANS BUSINESS

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Senior Kerra Cornist was on another level in Oakland's five-set win over Purdue Fort Wayne (9/28), as she finished with a career-high 14 kills on just 23 swings (.435 hitting percentage) and matched a season-high in blocks with six. On the season, the Auburn, Ky., native ranks second on the team in blocks (60.0) and blocks per set (0.90) and third in hitting percentage (.304).

SHE CAN DO IT ALL

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Junior setter Madison Ross possesses top-five team marks in hitting percentage (.328, 1st), solo blocks (5, T-1st), assists per set (3.70, 2nd), total assists (248, 2nd), block assists (32, 4th), total blocks (37.0, 4th), and blocks per set (0.55, 4th). In OU's straight-set win over Akron (9/11), she finished with a career-high seven blocks to go along with five kills on 13 swings (.385 hitting percentage), 13 assists, and three digs.

ACES FOR DAYS

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Freshman Emily Wichmann leads the team in aces with 16. She has recorded at least one ace in 11 matches, including a career-high three against Bradley (9/3) and Green Bay (10/10).

1K CLUB

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Tomei became the eighth Golden Grizzly in program history to reach 1,000 career assists in Oakland's tournament-opening sweep against Penn (9/10). Needing 17 assists to reach the 1,000 assist plateau, she finished with a team-best 20. The setter totaled 548 assists in her debut season with the Golden Grizzlies, followed by 315 assists in her sophomore campaign and 389 assists through 18 matches this season.

IN THIS TOGETHER

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The Golden Grizzlies bring back all 17 student-athletes on their roster from a season ago. Senior Brittany Welch, Walling, Wightman, Cesarini, Ross, Riedl, and Tomei appeared in every set last season. 

WELCOME TO THE FAM

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OU welcomes three newcomers to the program in Wichmann, Kira Buza, and Clarke Adams. The freshman trio arrives in Rochester from Houston, Texas (Adams), Crescent Springs, Ky. (Wichmann), and nearby Shelby Township, Mich. (Buza).

MORE THAN AN ATHLETE

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As a team, the Golden Grizzlies have earned the AVCA Team Academic Award for six straight years. The award honors volleyball teams with a year-long grade-point average of 3.30 on a 4.0 scale or 4.10 on a 5.0 scale. OU compiled an impressive 3.56 GPA to close out the 2020-21 academic year. Sixteen members of the Golden Grizzly volleyball program earned a GPA above 3.0, highlighted by Haley Brown and Katelyn Johnson, who turned in a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring.

THAT'S OUR COACH

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Head coach Rob Beam is in his 15th season with the Golden Grizzlies. As the longest-tenured volleyball coach in school history, Beam has guided Oakland to nine winning seasons and a berth to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament in 2014. He has accumulated 218 victories, second in school history, reaching the 200-win plateau during the 2019 campaign. Most recently, Beam helped OU to a 7-9 record during the Covid-19 shortened 2021 winter season.

MEET THE STAFF

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Amber Hildebrandt enters her first year as an associate coach with the Golden Grizzlies. No stranger to Rochester, Hildebrandt (then Miehlke) competed at OU from 2009-12 and later served as a volunteer assistant under Beam in 2014. In addition to her time at Oakland, she has coached at Appalachian State (2015-16, 2019-21) and Xavier (2016-17). Graduate assistant Bekah Strange is set to go for her second season with the Black and Gold. As a four-year starter at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), Strange totaled 1,812 career digs, good for third place in school history. As a senior, she was named Atlantic 10 Libero of the Year and an AVCA All-East Region selection.

NEXT UP

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After IUPUI, the Golden Grizzlies will continue their road swing at Northern Kentucky on Oct. 15 and Wright State on Oct. 16.