ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Oakland volleyball team hits the road this weekend for a pair of crucial conference matchups against Green Bay and Milwaukee in its regular season finale.
The Golden Grizzlies (17-11, 11-5 HL) wrapped up play at home this past Tuesday (Nov. 7) with a three-set sweep against IUPUI to become t-3rd in the Horizon League standings. In its win, Oakland matched its best win total in six years and continues to shine in conference play.
Tied for third with Green Bay in the conference standings, Oakland could end up in the no. 2 spot heading into the conference tournament if things go in its favor. A sweep this weekend, along with Milwaukee dropping its Friday match, places the Golden Grizzlies in second with a 13-5 record and momentum heading into the tournament.
Oakland narrowly beat Green Bay in its last meeting and took the match 3-2 at home. Green Bay had a set-in hand and attempted to put the match away, but a strong comeback from the Golden Grizzlies forced a fifth set where it took care of business.
Patti Cesarini recorded a career-high 21 kills and played well defensively with 21 digs. Junior
Emily Wichmann also accounted for a career-high in digs with 37 in the high-scoring match.
As a whole, the Golden Grizzlies hit at a .158 mark with 59 kills and tacked on eight points from service aces.
The Golden Grizzlies will seek revenge in its season finale against Milwaukee after it got swept by the Panthers.
Libby Gentile led Oakland in kills with nine and tacked on seven digs for second best on the team.
Nationally speaking, the Golden Grizzlies rank 8th in digs per set with 17.45 (1937). Wichmann ranks in the top-10 in digs per set with 5.33 with a grand total of 592 on the year.
SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
Green Bay (13-15, 11-5 HL) has won four of its last five games, with three-straight wins via a sweep, but dropped its most recent game at Wright State, 3-1.
Green Bay's Hannah Vanden Berg ranks first on the team with 349 kills and sits fourth in Horizon League play with a hitting percentage of 3.26.
As a team, the Phoenix have registered 192 aces on the year, averaging 1.79/set, and ranks second in the league. With a total of 1290 kills, the team averages 12.1 kills/set while allowing its opponents to 13.2.
Oakland has won five of its last seven games against Green Bay and hasn't dropped a game at Green Bay since 2021.
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee (20-10, 12-4 HL) rebounded last Saturday (Nov. 4) with a win against Northern Kentucky, 3-1, after it dropped its previous two matches and only took away one set.
Milwaukee's Ari Miller leads the league in both hitting percentage (.375) and stands tall at the net with a league-leading 126 blocks.
The Panthers can secure at least the second seed in the conference tournament with a win against Cleveland State Friday night, a team who swept Milwaukee earlier this season. As a team, the Panthers have a hitting percentage of .251 for best in the league and have recorded the least number of errors around the league.
Oakland has dropped seven-straight games against Milwaukee with its last win coming from the 2019 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.
