ROCHESTER, Mich. —The Oakland University volleyball program took down the Green Bay Phoenix in five sets (25-20, 25-21, 14-25, 13-25, 16-14) Tuesday evening inside the Athletics Center O'rena. The Golden Grizzlies (5-3 HL) earned their second series sweep of the season with the victory and extended their win streak to three matches.
Senior libero Lindsay Wightman was the star of the show, as she tallied a season-best 36 digs in the match. The total tied for the fourth-highest mark in school history and the second-most in her career with the Golden Grizzlies. She also added five assists and one service ace on the day. AnnaBelle Tomei strung together another double-double with 21 assists and 13 digs, while Brittany Welch rounded out OU players at double-figure digs with 11.
Oakland's offense was limited to a .084 hitting clip in the match. Jamie Walling (11 kills) and Patti Cesarini (10 kills) each notched double-digit kills to pace the attack.
Once again, the Golden Grizzlies thrived on the serve and against the Phoenix (3-7 HL) attack with seven aces and 9.0 blocks. Haley Brown and Tomei each garnered two aces while Anna Nie led the team with a collegiate-best four blocks.
OU cruised to a 2-0 lead in the set column, as they won the first two sets. The Golden Grizzlies jumped out to an early advantage in both sets, which proved too much for GB to overcome. Oakland took advantage of a combined 18 Phoenix errors through the two sets, including six by ace.
Green Bay rallied back with commanding victories in the third (25-14) and fourth set (25-13). The two teams were tied 6-6 in the third set, but the Phoenix responded with 19 of the next 27 points. GB carried its momentum by opening the fourth set with an 8-2 lead that proved insurmountable.
The match-deciding fifth set featured 10 ties and five lead changes. GB notched eight kills in the set, while Oakland was right behind with seven. The victory was in reach for the Phoenix, as they led 13-10 following a kill. However, the Golden Grizzlies closed the set with a 6-1 run to win 16-14.
Oakland will continue Horizon League play next week at UIC (March 1-2).
#GrizzVision with Rob Beam
