MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Oakland (8-12, 3-5 Horizon) defeated Robert Morris (3-16, 1-7 Horizon), 3-1, Saturday afternoon at UPMC Events Center, taking the sets 25-19, 21-25, 25-23 and 25-19.
After the teams split the first two sets, the Golden Grizzlies won five of six rallies in the third to move from a 7-7 tie to a 12-8 lead and won the set 25-23. Oakland finished with 57 kills, seven aces and 101 digs, while RMU hit .147 for the match.
Outside hitter Liv Hosford scored 18 points with 18 kills and added 17 digs. Setter Delaney Stern finished with 48 assists, 17 digs and two service aces. Libero Kalli Cook collected 23 digs and served three aces. Outside hitter Molly Reck added 14 kills and 16 digs.
SET ONE: OAKLAND, 25-19
Oakland broke open the first set after trailing 6-5, winning the next six points to move in front 11-6 behind a Hosford kill, a Cook service ace, kills from Reck and Hosford, and an RMU attack error.
Earlier, Oakland traded points through the opening stretch, with middle blockers Ellen Zapp and Lillian Frias finishing kills off assists from Stern to keep the set level at 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5. After the Colonials cut into the margin at 11-9, Oakland answered with kills from Hosford, outside hitter Olivia Rust, Reck and Frias, plus a Zapp ace, to keep separation through the middle of the set.
Hosford added three more kills after Oakland led 19-14, and Zapp closed the set with a kill from Stern after RMU scored four straight late points, giving Oakland a 25-19 win.
SET TWO: ROBERT MORRIS, 25-21
Oakland cut a nine-point deficit to two late in the second set, getting within 23-21 before the Colonials scored the final two points to take the set 25-21.
Earlier, RMU built a 13-4 lead as Oakland's early points came from two service errors and kills by Reck. Oakland worked back with kills from Frias, Hosford and Zapp, a Stern service ace and a block by Zapp and Rust. Cook's ace made it 19-16.
After the Colonials moved ahead 23-18, Reck added another kill, defensive specialist Kate Vrabel served an ace, and Oakland benefited from a ball-handling error to close the gap before the late finish.
SET THREE: OAKLAND, 25-23
Oakland created the separation it needed in the third set by turning a 7-7 tie into a 12-8 lead, winning five of six rallies and scoring four straight points on Cook's serve with kills from Hosford and Zapp and a Cook ace.
Earlier, RMU had scored four straight to move ahead 7-6, but Frias tied it with a kill, and Oakland quickly recovered from a service error to begin its mid-set push. Oakland maintained the edge with later kills from Rust, Frias, Hosford and Zapp.
After the Colonials closed to 20-19, Hosford's kill and an RMU attack error moved Oakland to a 22-19 lead. Kills from Zapp and Reck brought Oakland to set point at 24-20, and although RMU won the next three rallies, Oakland finished the set, 25-23, on an RMU attack error.
SET FOUR: OAKLAND, 25-19
Oakland turned a 5-4 deficit into a 9-6 lead in the fourth set, with Hosford recording three kills and Stern adding a kill during the early push.
After the Colonials closed to 10-8, Hosford delivered another kill, Rust and Zapp were credited on consecutive blocks, and an RMU attack error moved Oakland ahead 14-8. Oakland continued to side out behind kills from Rust, Reck and Frias, and Frias put down back-to-back kills that moved the score to 20-13.
RMU made a late push to 23-18, but a service error gave Oakland its next point and Rust finished the set from Stern for a 25-19 win.
UP NEXT
The Golden Grizzlies travel to Cleveland, Ohio, to face Cleveland State on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m. ET.
How to Follow Oakland Volleyball: For complete information on Oakland Volleyball, follow the team on X at
@OaklandWVB and head coach
Krista Rice at
@KKg1007. The team is also on
Instagram.
