ATHENS, Ohio -The Golden Grizzlies volleyball team battled in its pair of matches today but, despite scoring 20+ points in six of a possible seven sets, along with a two-point loss in a fifth set, dropped both to open up the Green & White Invitational.

MATCH ONE vs. LIBERTY
SET ONE: OAKLAND 18, LIBERTY 25
In the first set, Oakland fought hard but came up short against Liberty, losing 25-18. The set opened with back-and-forth action, as both teams traded early points. Oakland capitalized on kills from Gentry Brown and Olivia Rust, keeping the game within reach at 8-4. Liberty, however, responded with a strong offensive push to extend their lead to 10-4.

Oakland's resilience shone through mid-set with key kills from Brown and Rust, narrowing the gap to 16-10. Despite a service ace by Brown and a kill by Christina Bohm, Liberty maintained its momentum, closing the set, 25-18, to gain an edge heading into set two.

SET TWO: OAKLAND 26, LIBERTY 24
Oakland rallied back to take the second set, 26-24, in a thrilling contest. The Golden Grizzlies capitalized on early attack errors by Liberty, jumping to a 2-0 lead. Strong play from Rust helped Oakland stay in control at 5-4, but Liberty fought back with service aces to retake the lead at 7-5.

Oakland responded with timely blocks from Ainsley Guse and Libby Smith, evening the score at 8-8. Both teams continued to trade points throughout the middle of the set, with Tyler Linkhart delivering key kills to keep Oakland close.

Despite several service errors from both sides, Oakland's defense held firm, highlighted by a block from Guse and Rust that put Oakland ahead, 20-17. Liberty made a late push to tie the set at 24-24, but Bohm's kill and a final attack error by Liberty secured the set for Oakland, 26-24.

SET THREE: OAKLAND 21, LIBERTY 25
Liberty took control in the third set, pulling away for a 25-21 victory. Oakland started strong with a kill from Rust to take an early 1-0 lead, but Liberty quickly equalized and built momentum. Attack errors by Oakland allowed Liberty to edge ahead 2-1, but the Golden Grizzlies stayed within striking distance with contributions from Linkhart.

Bohm kept the set close, tying it up at 8-8 with a well-placed kill. However, Liberty capitalized on several Oakland errors, including attack and service errors, to widen the gap to 15-9. Despite a late surge from the Golden Grizzlies, Oakland was unable to overcome the deficit. Liberty maintained a lead, as an attack error ended the set at 25-21.

SET FOUR: OAKLAND 25, LIBERTY 20
Oakland fought back in the fourth set, winning 25-20 to force a decisive fifth set. The Golden Grizzlies took an early 2-1 lead, thanks to a kill by Brown and a service error from Liberty. Liberty responded, but service and attack errors plagued its efforts, allowing Oakland to widen the gap to 10-6. 

The Golden Grizzlies capitalized on Liberty's mistakes to extend its lead to 13-9, as Oakland's defensive play was highlighted, especially from Bohm and Rust, which proved critical, blocking several Liberty attacks.
Despite a late surge from Liberty, who narrowed the lead to 18-17, Oakland maintained its composure. Linkhart and Smith contributed key kills down the stretch, and Brown delivered the final blow with a service ace to secure the 25-20 victory.

SET FIVE: OAKLAND 13, LIBERTY 15
In a tense fifth set, Liberty narrowly edged out Oakland, 15-13, to claim the match. The set started with a service ace from Rachel Rossman, but Liberty quickly responded with a trio of kills to take an early 3-1 lead. However, Oakland capitalized on an error and kill to even the score at 3-3.

Oakland then went on a run, taking a 6-3 lead with key kills from Linkhart and solid blocking by Rust and Guse. Liberty fought back though and eventually tied the score at 6-6 and then again at 8-8 after a back-and-forth exchange of kills.

Smith and Brown kept Oakland in the game with crucial kills, while Liberty leaned on Carly O'Brien and Kamryn Bacus to regain momentum. With the score tied at 12-12, Liberty pulled ahead and brought the score to 14-12. Although Brown's kill gave Oakland a glimmer of hope at 14-13, O'Brien's final kill sealed the set and match for Liberty at 15-13.

MATCH TWO vs. EASTERN KENTUCKY
SET ONE: OAKLAND 25, EASTERN KENTUCKY 27
The opening set was a hard-fought battle as Oakland started with momentum, led by Brown and Linkhart, who provided several early kills. Oakland fell behind early but didn't count itself out as it slowly chipped away at its deficit over time. A late run, highlighted by a pair of aces from Linkhart, tied the set at 24-24. However, after a timeout, Eastern Kentucky edged out the Golden Grizzlies with back-to-back points off a pair of attack errors, to take the first set, 27-25.

SET TWO: OAKLAND 22, EASTERN KENTUCKY 25
The second set was equally competitive, with both teams trading points early on. Oakland's offense, driven by Linkhart and Brown, kept the team in the game, while Wichmann's solid reception and digs helped keep Eastern Kentucky from pulling too far ahead. Midway through the set, Eastern Kentucky capitalized on a few attack errors to build a 17-13 lead.

Oakland responded with a determined rally, narrowing the gap with critical kills from Guse and Bohm. A service ace from Linkhart brought the Golden Grizzlies within one point at 23-22, but Eastern Kentucky regrouped during a timeout and rallied to go ahead in the match by a pair of sets.

SET THREE: OAKLAND 24, EASTERN KENTUCKY 26
In the third and final set, Oakland came out determined to extend the match. The Golden Grizzlies jumped out to a 10-5 lead, with Brown and Guse hammering down kills, and Wichmann continuing her defensive dominance with timely digs. Eastern Kentucky, however, clawed its way back, tying the score at 15-15 after a series of offensive attacks.

The Golden Grizzlies regained the lead briefly, as back-to-back kills set up set point for Oakland, but the Colonels rattled off three-straight points to take the set and the match at 26-24.


Brown led the Golden Grizzlies on the day with 24 kills as she hit at a .234 rate, while Linkhart was right behind her with 19 total kills. Guse led at the net with six total blocks, as Brown added six points off aces.

The Golden Grizzlies close out the Green & White invitational tomorrow against host Ohio, with first serve set for 1:00 p.m. ET.