EAST LANSING, Mich. — Fifth-year libero Lindsay Wightman made history by breaking Oakland's record in career digs, as the Golden Grizzlies defeated Central Michigan (22-25, 25-21, 25-23, 14-25, 15-13) and lost to Michigan State (24-26, 13-25, 20-25) at the Green and White Classic on Friday. 


Wightman came into the day needing 32 digs to break the career mark, previously held by Lauren Duquette (2005-08) with 1,841 career digs. The Lake Orion, Mich., native did just that in OU's (6-4) thrilling five-set victory over CMU (5-5), as she totaled a match-high 32 digs to go along with six assists and one service ace. The dig total marked her 10th career match with 30-plus in the category.

As a team, the Golden Grizzly defense was outstanding from start to finish, with 88 digs and 13 blocks. A pair of veterans in Jamie Walling and Kerra Cornist limited the Chippewa attack with six blocks apiece. Junior setter AnnaBelle Tomei recorded her second double-double of the season with 26 assists and 10 digs, while freshman Emily Wichmann helped out with a career-high 15 digs. Another junior setter in Madison Ross had an all-around performance with 19 assists, eight kills on 14 swings (.429), six digs, and three blocks. 

Walling led the Oakland offense with 16 kills on 49 attempts (.245), while a pair of seniors in Brittany Welch and Jessica Riedl contributed with 10 kills each. Redshirt freshman Patti Cesarini helped out with seven kills and added two blocks.  

Oakland trailed 7-3 in the opening set of the tournament. Later on, the Golden Grizzlies carried a 15-12 advantage into a timeout break following a 5-0 run, highlighted by three blocks. CMU answered back with a 6-0 run of its own to take a 21-18 lead, but OU earned the next three points to tie the period at 21-all. The Chippewas had the last charge to finish on top, 25-22. The OU attack struggled in the period with an uncharacteristic .073 hitting percentage. Defensively, Riedl flexed her muscles with three blocks, while Wightman had a set-high nine digs. 

The Golden Grizzlies took control in the following set with an early 9-4 lead. The Chippewas reduced their deficit to 13-12 and eventually tied the set at 17-all. Despite the late CMU charge, OU shifted the momentum with a 4-0 run, resulting in a 21-17 advantage. The deficit was too much for Central Michigan to overcome, as Oakland closed with a 25-21 set victory. On the offensive end, Oakland hit a much improved .361 with 16 kills and just three errors. Walling got things going with a set-best five spikes on 11 swings. Welch was close behind with four kills in the period. 

The match's third set featured back-and-forth play with 14 ties and seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than two points, but OU obtained the final edge with a narrow 25-23 set victory. Once again, Wightman dominated with 10 digs in the period, and Ross contributed with four kills on five swings (.600), four assists, and two digs. 

CMU made a statement in the fourth set, as the Mid-American Conference opponent jumped out to a 13-7 advantage. The Chippewas never looked back for the remainder of the period, as they won 25-14 to force a fifth and final set. 

The Golden Grizzlies found themselves down 10-7 in the match-deciding fifth set but stormed back with a 5-0 run to take a 12-10 lead. Tomei punctuated the run with two consecutive aces. While the Chippewas inched within one, 14-13, following an OU attack error, Walling's 16th kill of the match clinched Oakland's sixth-straight victory 


Oakland had season-lows in kills (30), assists (27), and aces (0) versus tournament host Michigan State. Meanwhile, the Spartans (5-2) hit .371 with 49 kills compared to 13 errors. 

Walling had eight kills with a .353 hitting percentage to pace the offense. Riedl added seven kills on just 13 swings, good for a .538 striking percentage. Tomei led the OU setters with 14 assists, while Ross finished second on the team with seven of her own. 

On defense, Riedl, Walling, Cesarini, and Cornist collected two-plus blocks. Wightman had a team-high nine digs. Walling and Wichmann tallied eight digs apiece.

OU raced out to a 7-0 lead in the first set, taking advantage of various Michigan State errors in the process. While the Spartans inched within two multiple times, Oakland held on to the lead for almost the entirety of the set, reaching its set point up 24-22. However, MSU followed with a 4-0 run to take the period, 26-24. 

With set two tied 6-6, the Spartans took the following five points to gain an 11-6 advantage. The five-point deficit proved to be be the difference-maker as the Golden Grizzlies dropped the set 25-13. 

Both programs exchanged blows in set three, as there were a total of 15 ties and 10 lead changes. Tied at 17-all, Michigan State surged ahead with a 3-0 run to get in front 20-17. MSU led the rest of the way to secure the set, 25-20, and the victory. 

The Golden Grizzlies will wrap up non-conference play on Sunday at Bowling Green. First serve is set for 2 p.m.