ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oakland Golden Grizzlies Volleyball team looks to expand their four-match win streak this weekend, hosting the Milwaukee Panthers on the Blacktop, Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31. Action kicks off Friday night at 6 p.m. ET with Matt Kibby on the call, while "The Voice of the Golden Grizzlies" Neal Ruhl will play-by-play on ESPN+ Saturday.
Oakland capped a perfect week with a two-match sweep of Cleveland State, earning back-to-back 3-1 victories to improve to 10-12 overall and 5-5 in Horizon League play. The Golden Grizzlies rallied from a 24-22 deficit in the second set Thursday at Woodling Gym to fuel the comeback, with Molly Reck posting 26 kills, 12 digs and three aces. Back on the Blacktop Saturday, Oakland battled through three close sets before pulling away in the fourth, led by Liv Hosford's 18 kills and 12 digs, while Olivia Rust added 17 kills on a .343 attack percentage and Delaney Stern dished out 56 assists. Reck finished the weekend with 38 kills, 25 digs and six aces.
Molly Reck earned Under Armour #HLVB Player of the Week honors following a dominant 2-0 weekend that helped Oakland sweep Cleveland State. Reck posted double-doubles in both victories, totaling 38 kills, 25 digs and six service aces while averaging 4.75 kills, 5.69 points and 0.75 aces per set. She opened the weekend with 26 kills, 12 digs and three aces in Oakland's 3-1 road comeback, including 11 kills in the first set, before adding 12 kills, 13 digs and three aces in Saturday's 3-1 win on the Blacktop. Reck led the Horizon League in kills, points and service aces for the week while surpassing 450 career kills in the Black and Gold.
FRIDAY, OCT. 30
TIME: 6 p.m. ET
STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE STATS | TICKETS
SATURDAY, OCT. 31
TIME: 2 p.m. ET
STREAM: ESPN+
LIVE STATS | TICKETS
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Milwaukee enters the weekend even with Oakland with a 10-12 overall record, posting a 5-5 Horizon League record this season. The Panthers have responded in league play with a recent surge, winning four of its last five matches, including back-to-back victories over Cleveland State and sweeps of Northern Illinois and Purdue Fort Wayne. MKE is hitting .207 as a team, averaging 12.4 kills, 11.3 assists, 13.2 digs and 1.9 blocks per set. Josie Noble leads Milwaukee with 2.32 kills per set while hitting .268, followed by Ella Parker at 2.69 kills per set and Annie Eschenbach at 2.59 kills per set on a team-best .241 hitting percentage among the primary attackers. Milica Tomic directs the offense with 5.52 assists per set, while Kati Goba anchors the back row with 4.00 digs per set.
Milwaukee holds the all-time series up against Oakland, 15-7, having swept the Golden Grizzlies in the two-match series in Milwaukee last season. Oakland hasn't gotten a victory over the Panthers since 2019.
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.
