ROCHESTER, Mich. —
Jamie Walling became the ninth player in school history to surpass 1,000 career kills in the Oakland women's volleyball four-set loss to Wright State (17-25, 20-25, 38-36, 21-25), Monday evening inside the Athletics Center O'rena.
Walling, needing 12 kills to reach the 1,000-kill club, recorded 18 kills at a .267 clip to lead the Golden Grizzlies (2-1 HL) in their home opener. The senior middle hitter achieved the mark amid a come-from-behind third set that ended 38-36 in favor of Oakland.
Freshman outside hitter
Patti Cesarini impressed alongside Walling with a team-best 20 kills, marking the third-straight match she has totaled 16-plus kills.
Brittany Welch rounded out OU hitters in double-digit kills, as she tallied 11 on the day.
AnnaBelle Tomei and
Madison Ross paced the Golden Grizzly setters with assist totals of 26 and 19, respectively.
Defensively,
Lindsay Wightman tabbed a team-high 25 digs. Also tallying double-figure digs were Walling (18),
Haley Brown (13), Tomei (11), and
Katelyn Johnson (11).
As a team, Oakland finished with 103 digs, good for the 10th-most in school history. The Golden Grizzlies added 59 kills at a .131 hitting percentage, along with 51 assists, 5.0 team blocks, and five service aces.
OU trailed for the entirety of the first set but inched within one point, 15-14, following a kill from Walling. WSU (5-0 HL) responded with a 10-3 run to take the opening set, 25-17.
The Golden Grizzlies threatened to take the second set, as they rallied with three-consecutive points to even the score 16-16. Similar to the opening set, the Raiders answered back with six-straight points of their own and finished on top, 25-20.
It appeared WSU would earn a sweep, as the visiting squad led 12-3 in the third set. However, OU battled back to even the score, 25-25, and ended up winning the fourth set, 38-36. The Golden Grizzlies prevailed despite eight match-point opportunities for the Raiders. Walling led the stunning charge with seven kills and 13 digs to hand WSU its first set loss of the season.
Oakland carried its momentum into the fourth set with a 10-6 advantage. Wright State captured its first lead of the match, 13-12, and never relinquished it to clinch the road victory.
The Golden Grizzlies will close their series against WSU tomorrow at 5 p.m. from the O'rena. The match will air on ESPN+.
#GrizzVision with Rob Beam
