ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Oakland volleyball team embarks on its journey to claim a second-ever Horizon League Conference tournament title Friday as the Golden Grizzlies face off against Northern Kentucky in the quarterfinal round at 6 p.m. ET.
The Golden Grizzlies (17-13, 11-7 HL) finished its regular season last week on the road and dropped its final two games to earn the No. 5 seed in the conference tournament. Oakland's 17 overall wins and 11 league wins are the most in a season since 2017.
Oakland rattled off five wins in its last six games prior to its weekend road trip to Wisconsin to solidify a spot in the conference tournament. In total over its regular season finale weekend, the Golden Grizzlies came away with one set as
Patti Cesarini led the weekend with 22 kills. Junior
Emily Wichmann added 46 digs to her name over the weekend which placed her at the top of the Oakland volleyball record book for most digs in a single season (638).
The Golden Grizzlies are in its first conference tournament since the 2021 season where it dropped its first match against Wright State. Since its arrival to the Horizon League, the Golden Grizzlies have only made the championship game once, in 2014, where it defeated Milwaukee on home court, 3-1. Oakland earned the bid to the NCAA tournament where it eventually fell to Kentucky.
The No. 5 seed Golden Grizzlies face the No. 4 seed Norse for the third time this season as Oakland took the match the last time these two faced. In a thrilling home match, the Golden Grizzlies executed the reverse sweep after it was in a 2-0 set hole.
Libby Gentile led the match with 15 kills at a .279 hitting percentage, while Cesarini was credited with double-digit kills with 12. With the win, the Golden Grizzlies snapped a six-game skid against the Norse with its last win coming in 2019.
Nationally speaking, the Golden Grizzlies rank 1st in the nation in digs with 2,077 and 7th in digs per set with 17.60.
Today (Nov. 16), the Horizon League unveiled its 2023 volleyball All-League Awards as a trio of Golden Grizzlies were represented. After her record-breaking regular season, Wichmann was named the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-League First Team honors, while
Gentry Brown was named to the All-Freshman Team and Cesarini was recognized on the All-League Second Team. Additionally,
Anika Prisby was announced as a finalist for the Horizon League Sportsmanship Award.
Wichmann is the third player in school history to earn the honors of Defensive Player of the Year and first since Taylor Humm was recognized in 2014.
For the full story about these three and their season accomplishments, visit
here.
SCOUTING THE NORSE
Northern Kentucky (17-12, 12-6 HL) has made its conference tournament every year since 2014, dating back to its time in the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Norse have taken home the championship once in 2019 before it fell in the first-round of the NCAA tournament to Michigan, 3-0. Friday's match marks the first time these two have seen each other in the conference tournament.
The Norse ended its season on a two-match win streak on the road after they beat out IUPUI in five, followed by a 3-1 win over Purdue Ft. Wayne.
Northern Kentucky's Joy Banks ranks first on the team with 368 kills and sits fifth overall in the Horizon League in kills and kills per set (3.26). Right behind Banks is Abby Kanakry who has 363 kills and hits at a .263 percentage.
As a team, the Norse have registered 212 aces on the year, averaging 1.9 per set for best in the league. With a total of 1445 kills, the team averages 12.79 kills per set while allowing its opponents to 12.57.
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.
