CARBONDALE, Ill. - Helping the Golden Grizzlies to a 1-1 record on September 15 and 16 and rounding out the non-conference portion of their schedule exactly at .500 at 6-6, senior outside hitter Patti Cesarini and junior middle blocker Ainsley Guse were named to the Saluki Invitational All-Tournament Team for their performances over the weekend.



Becoming just the 10th player in program history to reach the mark, Cesarini accomplished a personal milestone in the first set of the victory over the UT Martin Skyhawks on September 15 by recording her 1,000th career kill.

A native of La Grange Park, Illinois, the same hometown as Michigan Wolverines junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Cesarini tallied 31 kills and 20 digs in the two Saluki Invitational matches and leads Oakland in the former this season with 156 while ranking second on the club in the latter with 126.

In her second year with Oakland after beginning her collegiate career in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with the Kent State Golden Flashes, Guse, who played her high school volleyball for the Stoney Creek Cougars, recorded 12 blocks and 19 kills over the weekend, all without committing a blocking error.

Racking up seven blocks and 13 kills against UT Martin, she followed this up with a five-block, six-kill performance against the Salukis.

Overall, Guse paces the Golden Grizzlies with 30 blocks in 2023, good for an average of .75 per set.

Set to begin Horizon League play, Cesarini, Guse and Oakland will next be in action on Tuesday, September 19 against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (5-7) at the Gates Sports Center at 6 p.m. on ESPN+ ($).