CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Oakland volleyball team battled hard but ultimately fell in four sets to Cleveland State this tonight inside Woodling Gymnasium.
 
SET ONE - OAKLAND 18, CLEVELAND STATE 25
 
Cleveland State came out firing in the first set, quickly building momentum with three-straight points. Lillian Frias put Oakland on the board but the Vikings offense kept up as it continued to play with a lead. Play was close early on, as another Frias kills made it 7-6, but a quick 3-0 run from the Vikings put it ahead by four.
 
Both teams continued to trade points, as Olivia Rust made it a three-point set at 17-14, but a 5-0 run put the Vikings in control as it eventually closed out the set and won, 25-18.
 
SET TWO - OAKLAND 25, CLEVELAND STATE 22
 
The Golden Grizzlies regrouped in the second set, showing resilience and determination. Rachel Rossman continued to set up her teammates effectively, as the Golden Grizzlies spread out its kills amongst several players. Oakland grabbed an early 7-4 lead with a service ace from Tyler Linkhart and remained ahead throughout the opening of the set.
 
A 3-0 run put the Vikings ahead by a point, at 10-9, before Oakland answered. A service error later on sparked a Golden Grizzlies run as it scored five-straight points to be in control, 19-13. The next nine points were traded between the two teams before the Vikings cut it close with a 4-0 run to make it 23-21, but Oakland rallied and closed out the set, 25-22, to knot up the match.
 
SET THREE - OAKLAND 23, CLEVELAND STATE 25
 
Set three was a back-and-forth affair, with neither team able to pull away by more than a few points. Cleveland State took a narrow 12-11 lead midway through the set with kills from, but Oakland responded with strong play from Rust and Gentry Brown. The set was tied late, once at 20-20, and the next at 21-21, but Cleveland State rattled off three-straight points to bring up set point, as Oakland battled to make it 24-23, but it finished out the set to go up, 2-1.
 
SET FOUR - OAKLAND 21, CLEVELAND STATE 25
 
Oakland came out strong in the first set, jumping to an early 4-2 lead with a pair of kills from Liberty Smith along with a pair of attack errors. Cleveland State responded quickly, closing the gap and eventually taking the lead, 6-5, before Lillian Frias knotted things back up. A series of kills by the Vikings put Cleveland State in control as it rattled off four-straight points to put Oakland behind.
 
The Vikings continued to capitalize as it built a 20-12 lead, but the Golden Grizzlies didn't count itself out as it went on a 4-0 run to make it a four-point set. The Vikings grabbed the next three points to put it two points away, but three kills and an ace put the Golden Grizzlies right back in it. Oakland's final effort fell short though as Cleveland State took its final set, 25-21, and won the match.
 
 
Linkhart led the Golden Grizzlies with 10 kills on the night and was one of three Oakland players to have a pair of service aces. Emily Wichmann was the only Golden Grizzly with double-digit digs, with 28, as Smith tallied the only solo block on the night,
 
The Golden Grizzlies continue Horizon League play as it returns home this weekend for a series against Robert Morris. First serve for Friday's (Oct. 4) match is set for 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by a 2:00 p.m. ET start Saturday (Oct. 5), with both matches streamed live on ESPN+.