Oakland University Athletics

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Oakland women's volleyball team fell in its final game of the regular season, 3-0, to Milwaukee Saturday night inside the Klotsche Center.
 
The Golden Grizzlies (17-13, 11-7 HL) dropped the match in three-straight sets (25-14, 25-18, 25-22) and now enters postseason play for the first time since 2021.
 
Both Christina Bohm and Patti Cesarini led the stat sheet in kills with 10 each as Bohm posted an impressive .600 hitting percentage. Three service aces were accounted for by the Golden Grizzlies with one apiece from Anika Prisby, Sarah Turner and Rachel Rossman. Both setters in Turner and Rossman were nearly even with assists, as Turned led the team with 18, two more than Rossman.
 
Once again, defensive specialist and libero Emily Wichmann led the Golden Grizzlies with her 14 kills which was two times more than anyone on the Oakland roster and was a game high.
 
All around, the Panthers tallied four more kills (45-41) than the Golden Grizzlies and also led in hitting percentage with .396. Oakland hit at a .219 mark and had 2.0 blocks, 3.0 less than Milwaukee.
 
Madi Malone led the Panthers (21-11, 13-5 HL) and the game with 15 kills (.419 H%).
 
The Panthers accounted for the first two points of the first set and didn't let up from there. After the Golden Grizzlies tacked on a point, the Panthers went on a 6-0 run to go up 8-1 quickly. Cesarini put the run to a halt, followed by a kill from Libby Gentile, but that wouldn't stop Milwaukee as it went on another run and found itself ahead, 20-8. Oakland managed to tack on a few points late to try and muster a comeback but the lead was too great as it dropped set one, 25-14.
 
Gentile put Oakland up early, but two-straight from Milwaukee forced the Golden Grizzlies to play catch up once again. A more even set than the one previous, both teams traded points and went back-and-forth on the scoreboard until the Panthers started to pull away and went up 15-9. Oakland hung in there and continued to battle to try and tie the match up at one set apiece as Ella Martin cut the deficit to four at 18-14. The Panthers tacked on three of the next four points and eventually put the set away, 25-18.
 
Oakland continued to improve into the third set as it took control early on. The Golden Grizzlies held its ground in the opening points as the game teetered but mostly in favor of Oakland. Martin swung one down for a two-point lead, at 12-10, but the Panthers didn't break and rattled off three-straight to take a lead. Bohm thwarted the mini run to knot things at 13 but like the previous two sets, the Panthers started to run away with the set. Milwaukee looked to put things away, up 19-15, but Oakland kept crawling back and cut the lead down to two on three separate occasions. It came down to the wire, but the Panthers wrapped it up at 25-22 to complete the sweep.
 
The Golden Grizzlies are set to compete in the Horizon League conference tournament for the first time since 2021 in the quarterfinals Friday, Nov. 17, hosted by Wright State in Dayton, Ohio.