ROCHESTER, Mich. - Concluding their 2022 campaign with a road victory over the IUPUI Jaguars, Oakland Golden Grizzlies Volleyball has kept this positive momentum rolling on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal over the offseason as Head Coach Krista Rice and her staff prepare to begin their second year with the program.
Returning seven student-athletes from last season’s team and adding nine new ones, the 2023 Golden Grizzlies have assembled a promising roster featuring a steady blend of experience and young, developable talent as the program looks to earn a spot in the Horizon League Tournament this fall.
In advance of Oakland’s season-opening exhibition match against the Grand Valley State Lakers on Saturday, August 19, we spoke with Rice to compose a daily series of quick stories highlighting the position groups on this new roster, beginning today with the liberos and defensive specialists.
Viewed by many as one of the strengths of the program, the liberos and defensive specialists possess the important responsibility of being the quarterback of the defense, responsible for handling the first contact and allowing the offense to flow and attack in-system.
“They take the lead when it comes to providing high-quality serve receive and defensive contacts so that we can run our offense,” Rice shared of her liberos and defensive specialists.
“Their primary role is to put us in a position to run our offense, giving us multiple options rather than just one or two, which presents a greater challenge for our opponents to defend us.”
For the Golden Grizzlies, these liberos and defensive specialists are made up of a Core Four of Crescent Springs, Kentucky junior Emily Wichmann, Rochester senior Kennedy Dolmage, Portage sophomore Lyse Bates and Centreville freshman Bella Kessler.
Interestingly, this Core Four consists of one student-athlete from each academic class, a promising sign for the continuity of the program moving forward.
“From a passing perspective, I think they’ve all continued to blossom, particularly with their composure and ability to bounce back from errors. They’re putting a lot of work in,” said Rice.
“We do reps every single day where they get to really hone in and just focus on their platform control to their footwork. Defensively, we have a really high standard when it comes to where that ball is dropping, we aim for the center third of the court, kind of right in front of the 10-foot line.”
Sixth on Oakland’s all-time list with a career average of 3.45 digs per set, Wichmann was second in the Horizon League in this category in 2022 at an even five and tallied three matches with 30-plus digs.
Dolmage made 17 starts a year ago and was fourth on the club with 171 digs, while Bates saw action in 18 matches, starting eight.
The lone newcomer among this position group, Kessler was a two-time Division 3 All-State selection who won three Southwest 10 Conference championships with the Bulldogs.
Following Saturday’s exhibition with the Lakers, the Golden Grizzlies will officially begin their 2023 slate when they travel to Credit Union 1 Arena to compete in the Chicago Classic on August 25-26.
