FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Completing the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 1-1 showing in the Saluki Invitational on September 15 and 16, the 6-6 Oakland Golden Grizzlies will begin Horizon League play by squaring off with the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons (5-7) at 6 p.m. at the Gates Sports Center on Tuesday, September 19 on ESPN+ ($).

Voted on by the conference's 10 head coaches, Oakland was picked to finish sixth in the 2023 Horizon League Preseason Poll and the Mastodons were right behind them in seventh.

Stringing together two separate win streaks so far this season, including a three-match run from August 26-September 2, the Golden Grizzlies have been led offensively by senior Patti Cesarini, who became just the 10th player in program history to reach 1,000 career kills on September 15, and redshirt junior Libby Gentile.

Joining Cesarini in receiving Saluki Invitational All-Tournament Team honors, junior Ainsley Guse paces Oakland with 30 blocks and sophomore Anika Prisby has added 29. 

Ninth on the school's all-time list in the category, junior libero Emily Wichmann has 253 digs on the year, highlighted by five matches with 25-plus already.

SCOUTING PURDUE FORT WAYNE
Led by 10th-year head coach Steve Florio, the Mastodons will bring a three-match losing streak into play Tuesday, dropping each of their contests in the Purdue Fort Wayne Invitational Presented by Hyatt Place on September 15 and 16.

Redshirt freshman Panna Ratkai has a team-high 191 kills for the Mastodons, while junior Taya Haffner has been primarily responsible for setting her up with 351 assists.

Three Purdue Fort Wayne players have reached triple-digit digs this year, led by sophomore libero LonDynn Betts with 198.

The Golden Grizzlies and Mastodons split their two meetings in 2022 with each club winning at home.

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.