GREEN BAY, Wis. – Despite tying the match at one set apiece heading into the third set, the Golden Grizzlies volleyball team fell in four sets against the Green Bay Phoenix tonight inside the Kress Center.
SET ONE - OAKLAND 18, GREEN BAY 25
In a hard-fought first set, Oakland dropped to Green Bay, 25-18, despite showing some strong offensive moments.Green Bay capitalized on a few Oakland attack errors, slowly building a lead, as Oakland found itself down by seven early. The team battled back though, as it rang off four-straight points, with help from
Tyler Linkhart, to get within reach.
Linkhart continued to add offensive firepower with crucial kills, but the consistency from Green Bay's attackers kept the Phoenix ahead. Oakland managed to close the gap to 22-18 late in the set, thanks to a pair of kills from Linkhart and
Sydney Green, but unfortunately, a couple of costly errors in the final points allowed Green Bay to pull away and secure the set victory.
SET TWO - OAKLAND 25, GREEN BAY 19
Oakland bounced back with a strong performance in the second set, securing a 25-19 victory over Green Bay to even the match. The Golden Grizzlies started fast, taking an early 5-1 lead with key kills from
Rachel Rossman and Green. Oakland's aggressive play continued, with Linkhart and
Gentry Brown contributing crucial points.
Though Green Bay attempted to rally, cutting the deficit to 15-14, Oakland responded with a kill from
Libby Smith and a flurry of offensive strikes from Linkhart and Green. A final kill from Green secured the win as Oakland closed out the set at 25-19.
The Golden Grizzlies' balanced attack and resilience under pressure allowed them to regain momentum heading into the third set.
SET THREE - OAKLAND 18, GREEN BAY 25
In the third set, Oakland dropped a 25-18 decision to Green Bay, despite showing strong moments of resilience. Green Bay, once again, built an early lead as the Golden Grizzlies played catch up early on. Green Bay continued to find their rhythm, capitalizing on Oakland errors and earning kills all around.
Oakland remained competitive throughout, with Brown and Green contributing crucial points, but a series of attack errors allowed Green Bay to build momentum. Although Oakland closed the gap midway through the set, Green Bay's defense at the net proved too much. Ultimately, three-straight kills from the Phoenix closed out the set to put Oakland down in the match, 2-1.
SET FOUR - OAKLAND 18, GREEN BAY 25
In set four, Oakland came out with energy but struggled to maintain momentum, falling to Green Bay 25-18.
Olivia Rust got things started with a kill assisted by Rossman, and
Ainsley Guse added a service ace to give Oakland an early lead. However, Green Bay responded with a strong attack and tallied seven-straight points to build a 7-2 lead.
Oakland's offensive efforts, including kills from
Sydney Green and
Libby Smith, kept the team competitive, but service errors and Green Bay's defensive pressure widened the gap. Late kills from Green and Rust helped Oakland fight back to 23-18, but Green Bay sealed the set and match with a kill, followed by an ace, to close out the match.
Green led the attack for the Golden Grizzlies as she finished the night with 16 kills, as Brown and Smith also recorded double-digit kills, where Green hit at a .467 clip. Guse led with a pair of aces, while Wichman led the defense front with 20 digs.
The Golden Grizzlies wrap up its road trip as they continue play against Green Bay tomorrow inside the Kress Center, with first serve set for 3:00 p.m. ET. Tomorrow's match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
