ROCHESTER, Mich. -- The Oakland volleyball team welcomes Purdue Fort Wayne for its first of three-straight home matches Tuesday, Oct. 24 at 6 p.m. for Pride Night at the OU Credit Union O'rena.
 
Oakland (13-10, 7-4 HL) is 6-3 in its last nine matches, including a 3-0 sweep over Youngstown State on the road on Saturday. The Golden Grizzlies sit in fifth place in a competitive Horizon League, just two games behind first place, Milwaukee.
 
The Golden Grizzlies look to complete the season sweep over the Mastadons (8-15, 3-8 HL) as the last meeting resulted in a 3-0 win for Oakland. Patti Cesarini and Ainsley Guse recorded nine kills each, while Guse tallied an impressive seven blocks, Cesarini added three.
 
Junior Emily Wichmann continues to be one of the nation's best defensive specialists and has paced Oakland and the Horizon League all season long. The Crescent Springs, Ky. native ranks fourth in the country in digs this season with 479, while averaging 5.38 per set, placing her eighth in the NCAA and first among the Horizon League. As a team, Oakland sits second in the country in digs recording an impressive 1,543 this season, placing the Golden Grizzlies fifth in the country in digs per set with 17.34.
 
Guse remains one of the league's best in hitting percentage as the junior ranks seventh (.297) while teammate Anika Prisby sits in 11th (.261).
 
Cesarini and Gentry Brown rank in the top-25 in the Horizon League in kills as Cesarini has registered 261 (3.11/set) on the year, while Brown has tallied 148 (2.43/set). The duo rank seventh and 20th respectively among Horizon League foes.
 
The Golden Grizzlies sit fifth in the conference in assists (11.79/set) as Sarah Turner continues to pace Oakland's offense recording 5.47/set, placing her eighth in the Horizon League. Rachel Rossman has also played a significant role averaging 4.63 assists per set.

SCOUTING THE MASTADONS
Purdue Fort Wayne snapped its three-game losing streak on Saturday after taking down Green Bay in straight sets. The Mastadons have the slight edge in the all-time series, 11-9 but the Golden Grizzlies have posted a 3-1 record in the last four meetings.
 
PFW's Panna Ratkai leads the Horizon League in kills (385) and kills per set (4.43), as the redshirt freshman has been named Horizon League Player of the Week three times this season.

FOLLOW OAKLAND
Student-athletes, parents, and fans can follow Oakland Volleyball on social media using @OaklandWVB on Twitter and Instagram. The Gold Standard Name, Image, and Likeness Marketplace is available to bridge NIL opportunities for student-athletes and can be found here via Opendorse.

Additionally, the Oakland University Athletics app is available for download in the Apple and Google Play Stores.