ROCHESTER, Mich. — The Oakland University women's volleyball program will host Purdue Fort Wayne for matches on Monday (March 8) and Tuesday (March 9). Both matches are set for a 5 p.m. start inside the Athletics Center O'rena.
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THOUGHTS FROM COACH BEAM
"This is a critical week for us in terms of the Horizon League race. Purdue Fort Wayne has played very well thus far and we will need to be sharp in our execution. Serving and passing, as well as offensive production, are top priorities in the matchup. I expect a determined effort on our part, as we know what is on the line."
INSIDE THE SERIES
• Oakland trails 32-21
• At Home: 6-13
• At PFW: 7-10
• Neutral Site: 8-9
• First Meeting: 10/29/83, Oakland won, 3-1
• Last Meeting: 8/25/18, Oakland won, 3-1
• Series Note: The Golden Grizzlies have won six out of the last 10 matchups
NOTES
> Oakland trails 32-21 in the overall series versus Purdue Fort Wayne. The Mastodons took the lead in the series by winning 18-straight matches from 1994 to 2010. OU has responded by winning six of the last 10 matchups. The most recent contest transpired during the 2018 season, when the Golden Grizzlies came out on top, 3-1.
> 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 1,094 kills in her career with the Golden Grizzlies, which is good for fifth in school history. The Normal Ill. native is eight kills away from surprising Cassie Pelloni (1,101 kills) for fourth all-time in career kills. Walling also has the potential to move past Adrienne Leone during the PFW series, who sits fourth in the all-time category with 1,112 kills.
> Walling has posted 10 or more kills in seven matches this season. She tallied 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 ranks third nationally in digs per set (6.36) and 25th nationally in total digs (248). Both marks are first in the Horizon League as well. Dating back to last season, she has tallied 10 or more digs in 23-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 seven times in just 10 matches this season. The Lake Orion, Mich., native had a season-best 36 digs against Green Bay (2/23), which tied for the fourth-high mark in school history and the second-most in her career with Oakland. The performance led to Horizon League Player of the Week honors.
> Wightman ranks fourth in school history in career digs with 1,530. She is 19 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 19.08 digs per set, which is the 10th-highest mark in NCAA Division I. Three players in Wightman, Haley Brown (2.41), and AnnaBelle Tomei (2.41) 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 3.26 and 2.94, respectively. OU is one of two schools in the conference with multiple players in the top-10 of the kills list.
> Kerra Cornist leads the HL in blocks per set (1.24) and is 10th in total blocks despite playing eight fewer sets than every player in front of her. She boosted her average with a season-high nine blocks at UIC (3/2). Additionally, she had totaled five or more blocks in three matches.
> The Golden Grizzlies recorded a season-high 14.0 blocks — three solo, 22 assists — in their series-closing match at UIC (3/2). Cornist (nine blocks), Riedl (six blocks), and Welch (five blocks) all notched five-plus blocks.
> Tomei has registered a double-double in three of her last four matches. The sophomore setter has already surpassed her total in the category from a season ago with five double-doubles in 10 matches. On the season, Tomei is one of two Golden Grizzlies with multiple double-doubles.
> The Golden Grizzlies are 27th nationally in team attacks per set (38.67). The quartet of Cesarini (413 attacks), Walling (348 attacks), Brittany Welch (330 attacks), and Jessica Riedl (188 attacks) have combined for 85% of OU's 1,508 total attacks.
> 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.
