ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Golden Grizzlies volleyball team travels to Highland Heights, Ky., for its final weekend road trip as it'll face off against Northern Kentucky Friday (Nov. 8) and Saturday (Nov. 9).
Last weekend, in a back-to-back series against the Youngstown State Penguins at the Beeghly Center, the Golden Grizzlies showcased resilience but ultimately faced two tough losses.
The first encounter was a thrilling five-set contest, with Oakland narrowly missing victory, falling, 3-2. The Golden Grizzlies came out strong, clinching the first two sets with a balanced attack featuring impactful plays from
Libby Smith,
Elin Schott, and
Gentry Brown. They claimed set one, 25-23, and followed it up with a decisive 25-18 win in the second. Despite a strong start in the third, Youngstown State rallied to take the set, 25-21. The momentum shifted as the Penguins overpowered Oakland in set four, 25-11. In the deciding fifth set, both teams battled point-for-point, but the Penguins edged Oakland, 15-13. Defensive specialist
Emily Wichmann set a season-high with 34 digs, while Brown tied her season-high with 18 kills, and
Rachel Rossman led with 40 assists.
In the second match, Youngstown State swept Oakland, 3-0. The Golden Grizzlies put up a valiant effort, with close set scores that highlighted their fighting spirit. In the first set, despite significant contributions from Brown and
Tyler Linkhart, Oakland fell short, 25-20. The second set followed a similar pattern as the Golden Grizzlies kept pace, but the Penguins managed a late surge to win, 25-19. The third set saw Oakland taking an early lead, but Youngstown State's determination proved too strong, securing a 25-15 victory. Brown led with 11 kills, while Smith contributed nine kills and led defensively with one solo block and two block assists.
FRIDAY/SATURDAY, NOV. 8/9
OPPONENT: Northern Kentucky
TIME: 6:00 p.m. ET (Friday), 2:00 p.m. ET (Saturday)
LIVE STATS
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+ (Friday) (Saturday)
The Golden Grizzlies hold a 7-10 record against the Norse all-time as Oakland is 2-8 in its last 10 matches. Oakland is 3-5 on the road as its last win inside Regents Hall came in 2019 as Oakland came away with the win, 3-2. Entering Friday, Northern Kentucky has lost its last six matches, as Oakland has dropped its last three.
As a team, the Norse have tallied 1187 kills, good for 12.2 per set, as Joy Banks leads the team with 325. At the service line, Lucy Cluxton leads the team with 29 aces, while Allie Siefke leads defensively at the net, with 15 solo blocks and 82 block assists, good for 97.0 total blocks.
Friday's match is set to begin at 6:00 p.m. ET, while Saturday's match will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN+.
