DAYTON, Ohio – Hitting the road for the first time since an October 8 date with the Milwaukee Panthers, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies volleyball team will play matches on consecutive afternoons this weekend, squaring off with the Wright State Raiders on Friday, October 21 at 6 p.m. and the Northern Kentucky Norse the following day, Saturday, October 22, at 4 p.m.

Dating to their October 7 triumph over the Phoenix in Green Bay, the Golden Grizzlies have won three of their last five matches, but have their work cut out for them this weekend as the Raiders and Norse are two of the Horizon League's top-three teams.

Featuring the conference's reigning Player of the Week in fifth-year senior setter Lainey Stephenson, Wright State is unbeaten in league play at 9-0 and boasts a 17-3 overall record, which includes a current 12-match win streak.

While they are just 9-11 on the season, Northern Kentucky is 7-2 in conference action and was picked as the favorite by the league's coaches in the Horizon League Preseason Poll, receiving six of the ten first-place votes.

ALL-TIME SERIES AND LAST MEETING
Clashing a total of 25 times since September 17, 1999, Oakland's series with the Raiders is about as even as could be, with Wright State holding the narrowest of edges, 13-12.

In their last battle, which came just under a month ago on September 24, the Raiders topped the Golden Grizzlies in four sets.

As for series with the Norse, the story is the same, the sample size is just a little smaller.

In 13 total meetings, with the first coming on October 16, 2015, Northern Kentucky has beaten Oakland seven times with the Golden Grizzlies taking the other six.

On September 23 of this season, the last meeting between the two programs, the Norse swept the Golden Grizzlies.

TELEVISION AND SOCIAL MEDIA COVERAGE
Friday's match with Wright State will not be televised, but the Saturday showdown with Northern Kentucky will be on ESPN+, which interested viewers and listeners can access using this link.

As always, NCAA Live Stats will have up-to-the-minute results and you can also keep up with the action on Twitter @OaklandWVB.

2022 HORIZON LEAGUE VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS