ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland University women's volleyball team continues its Horizon League slate at Cleveland State for matches on Monday (Feb. 15) and Tuesday (Feb. 16). The opening match will commence at 6 p.m. while the Tuesday rematch is set for a 5 p.m. start. The series will air on ESPN3 from inside the Woodling Gymnasium.
Live Stats |
ESPN3 (Monday) | ESPN3 (Tuesday) |
Full Schedule
THOUGHTS FROM COACH BEAM
"The matchup with Cleveland State renews one of our longest rivalries in the Horizon League. They have a strong team with some outstanding veterans. They also possess a significant net presence that will challenge us to be sharp on offense in terms of set selection and attacking execution.
"I am looking for our team to compete tactically in a few key areas, as well as continue the outstanding effort and team organization on the defensive end."
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Cleveland State leads 15-9
• At Home: 3-9
• At CSU: 6-5
• Neutral Site: 0-1
• First Meeting: 10/31/00, Oakland lost, 3-1
• Last Meeting: 11/2/19, Oakland lost, 3-0
• Series Note: The Golden Grizzlies won five-straight over CSU from 2014-16, but have lost six out of the last eight meetings.
NOTES
> Senior middle hitter
Jamie Walling became the ninth player in school history to surpass 1,000 career kills in Oakland's home-opening series against Wright State last week. In the series, she totaled 25 kills, averaging 3.57 kills per set at a team-best .257 hitting percentage. In Oakland's home opener, she tallied a double-double with 18 kills at a .267 clip and a career-high 18 digs. Walling followed up the strong performance with seven kills and 10 digs in the Tuesday rematch.
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Patti Cesarini ranks fourth nationally and first in the Horizon League in attacks per set (13.93). The freshman outside hitter is averaging 4.27 kills per set, good for 36th in the country and second in the HL. She also holds a top-3 HL mark in points per set (4.40).
> Cesarini leads the Golden Grizzlies in total kills with 64. She is the lone OU player to record 10 or more kills in each match this season. The La Grange Park, Ill., native is tied for fourth in the conference in the category despite playing two fewer matches compared to the three ranked in front of her.
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Lindsay Wightman ranks third in the country in digs per set (6.40) and second in the Horizon League in total digs (96). Dating back to last season, she has tallied 10 or more digs in 15-straight matches.
> Wightman ranks fifth in school history in career digs with 1,378. She is 73 digs away from surpassing Brittany Dunn (1,451 digs) for fourth place in the all-time category. Lauren Duquette (2008 alum) is the program leader in career digs with 1,841.
> Oakland is averaging 21.87 digs per set, which is the second-highest mark in NCAA Division I. Six players in Wightman,
Haley Brown (3.13), Walling (2.93),
Katelyn Johnson (2.53),
AnnaBelle Tomei (2.47), and
Kennedy Dolmage (2.14) currently average more than two digs per set.
>
Brittany Welch and Walling are tied for fifth in the HL in kills per set (3.07). The duo combined for 46 kills in the WSU series.
> OU trails 15-9 in the overall series. CSU opened the all-time series in front 7-0. The Golden Grizzlies broke the seven-match skid on Sept. 8, 2012, in a thrilling five-set victory. The win swung the momentum, as Oakland went 6-2 in the following eight meetings. CSU has regained control over the last four years, going 6-2 in the span.
> Oakland split its series against the Vikings in 2019, as they won on the road in five sets but lost in straight-sets inside the O'rena. Walling registered 22 kills, four digs, and two blocks to lead the Golden Grizzlies in their road victory against CSU last season. Welch and
Jessica Riedl also added double-digit kills with 13 and 10, respectively. Defensively, Wightman totaled a team-best 24 digs.
> The Golden Grizzlies are coming off a pair of losses to preseason favorite Wright State. Oakland handed the Raiders their first set loss of the season in the opening match, after coming back from a nine-point deficit to win the third set to win, 38-36. WSU won in straight-sets in the Tuesday rematch.
> Oakland is under the direction of 14th-year head coach
Rob Beam, who guided the Golden Grizzlies to an 8-8 mark in conference play and an overall record of 15-14 in 2019. Beam has helped OU finish fourth or higher in the league standings in eight of the last 10 seasons. In 2014, Beam led Oakland to its first-ever berth to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament.
> The Golden Grizzlies return a pair of 2019 Honorable Mention All-League selections in Walling and Wightman. Walling, a middle hitter, ranked inside the conference top-10 in points per set (third / 3.97), kills per set (fourth / 3.31), and hitting percentage (eighth / .280), while Wightman was second in the conference in digs per set (5.31) and first on the team in total digs (478). Other key returners include Welch, a 2019 All-Freshman team recipient, along with Riedl and Tomei.
> OU welcomed four newcomers — all freshman — in Dolmage,
Anna Nie,
Libby Cleaveland, and Cesarini.
> Oakland was picked fifth in the 2021 Horizon League preseason coaches poll. The Golden Grizzlies tabbed 66 points overall in the poll, which was voted on by the league's 11 head coaches. Defending HL champion Wright State (112) was picked to win the conference and tallied a league-high five first-place votes.
