ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland University women's volleyball program travels to UIC for matches on Monday (March 1) and Tuesday (March 2). The opening match will commence at 7 p.m. ET while the Tuesday rematch is set for a 5 p.m. ET start. The series will air on ESPN inside the Flames Athletic Center.
Live Stats | ESPN3 (Monday) | ESPN+ (Tuesday) | Full Schedule
THOUGHTS FROM COACH BEAM
"This is a key road matchup for us. UIC is ahead in the standings and has played very well thus far in the league season. We need to continue to defend well and find our rhythm offensively. I think putting up offensive points will be key to being successful against the Flames."
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Oakland leads 10-5
• At Home: 6-1
• At UIC: 4-3
• Neutral Site: 0-1
• First Meeting: 9/10/83, Oakland lost, 2-0
• Last Meeting: 10/25/19, Oakland lost, 3-0
• Series Note: The Golden Grizzlies have won four out of the last six matches against UIC.
NOTES
> Oakland leads 10-5 in the overall series versus UIC with victories in seven of the last 10 matchups. However, the Golden Grizzlies have dropped two straight on the road against the Flames. Both programs came away with straight-set victories at home in two matchups last season.
> UIC sits second behind Wright State in the Horizon League standings at 7-1. The Flames opened the 2021 season with series sweeps against Purdue Fort Wayne, Robert Morris, and Youngstown State. Milwaukee handed UIC its first loss of the season last week in four sets.
> Senior middle hitter Jamie Walling became the ninth player in school history to surpass 1,000 career kills in Oakland's home opener against Wright State (2/8). She has amassed 1,065 kills in her career with the Golden Grizzlies, which is good for seventh in school history. The Normal Ill. native is six kills away from surpassing former OU graduate assistant Sammy Condon (1,070 kills) for sixth all-time in career kills. Walling also has the potential to move past Tess Pierce during the UIC series, who sits fifth in the all-time category with 1,073 kills.
> Walling posted a season-high 20 kills at a .487 hitting clip in the Golden Grizzlies series-opening match versus Green Bay (2/22). The hitting performance marked the 10th time in her four-year career with 20 or more kills.
> Lindsay Wightman earned Horizon League Player of the Week after totaling 62 digs, averaging 6.89 per set in Oakland's series sweep against Green Bay. The Lake Orion, Mich., native tallied a team-leading 26 digs, nine assists, and two aces in OU's four-set victory over the Phoenix on Monday. Wightman notched a season-best 36 digs along with five assists and one ace in the Golden Grizzlies' five-set win against GB in the Tuesday rematch. The dig total was the eighth-most in an NCAA Division I five-set match this season. To add, the total tied for the fourth-highest mark in school history and the second-most in her career with Oakland.
> Wightman ranks third in the country in digs per set (6.63) and first in the Horizon League in total digs (199). Dating back to last season, she has tallied 10 or more digs in 21-straight matches. Wightman notched 25 or more digs six times in 24 matches during the 2019 season. The senior Libero has totaled 25-plus digs six times in just eight matches this season.
> Wightman ranks fourth in school history in career digs with 1,481. She is 68 digs away from surpassing Taylor Humm (1,548 digs) for third place in the all-time category. Lauren Duquette (2008 alum) is the program leader in career digs with 1,841.
> Oakland is averaging 19.43 digs per set, which is the 10th-highest mark in NCAA Division I. Three players in Wightman, Haley Brown (2.50), and AnnaBelle Tomei (2.30) currently average more than two digs per set.
> The duo of Walling (fifth) and Patti Cesarini (eight) rank top-10 in the HL in kills per set with averages of 3.27 and 3.03, respectively. OU is one of three schools in the conference with multiple players in the top-10 of the kills list.
> The Golden Grizzlies are averaging 1.5 service aces per set and have recorded 10 or more aces in two matches this season. Wightman is tied for fifth in the conference in aces with a team-high 11. Haley Brown and AnnaBelle Tomei are close behind with ace totals of nine and eight.
> OU has held opponents to a .183 attack percentage, good for the third-lowest mark in the HL. Five opponents have recorded a hitting percentage below .200 against Golden Grizzly defense, including CSU, who was limited to a .080 hitting percentage (2/16).
> Tomei registered consecutive double-doubles in Oakland's sweep over Green Bay last week. The sophomore setter has already matched her total in the category from a season ago with four double-doubles in eight matches. On the season, Tomei is the lone Golden Grizzly with multiple double-doubles.
> The Golden Grizzlies are 22nd nationally in team attacks per set (38.83). The quartet of Cesarini (330 attacks), Walling (274 attacks), Brittany Welch (241 attacks), and Jessica Riedl (147 attacks) have combined for 85% of OU's 1,165 total attacks.
> Oakland leads 10-5 in the overall series with victories in seven of the last 10 matchups. However, the Golden Grizzlies have dropped two straight on the road against the Flames. Both programs came away with straight-set victories at home in two matchups last season.
> 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.
