ROCHESTER, Mich. — Oakland (11-15, 6-8 HL) lost to Youngstown State (13-12, 9-5 HL), 3-0, on Saturday Senior and Alumni Day with set scores of 20-25, 19-25 and 17-25. Oakland finished with 25 kills and hit .078, while YSU totaled 45 kills and hit .224. The Golden Grizzlies added 44 digs and eight team blocks in the match.
Outside hitter
Liv Hosford led Oakland with seven kills and 9.5 points, adding seven digs and three blocks. Outside hitter
Molly Reck recorded a team-high 12 digs with six kills, one service ace and one block, as setter
Delaney Stern finished with 19 assists, five digs and one block assist. Middle blocker
Grace Cooney posted a team-high four blocks and added two kills.
Oakland pushed the opening set into a 15-15 tie on Hosford's block, but YSU answered with four straight points and went on to take the set 25-20. Earlier, the Golden Grizzlies kept the set even through the first half behind kills from Reck, Hosford, middle blocker
Kamsi Iweajunwa and Cooney, along with blocks involving Hosford, Cooney and opposite hitter
Ella Schomer. After falling behind 21-17, Oakland worked back within 21-20 as Schomer and Hosford put down kills around a YSU attack error. The Penguins stopped the push from there, scoring the final four points to close out the set.
Oakland led 12-10 in the second set, but YSU later turned a 13-13 tie into a 16-13 advantage and closed out a 25-19 set. Earlier, Oakland opened with a block by Schomer and Iweajunwa, then moved ahead through the middle of the set with kills from Hosford, Schomer, Reck, Cooney, and Iweajunwa. The Penguins tied it at 12-12 and, after the teams were even again at 13-13, scored three straight points on an ace, an Oakland setting error and an Abbie Householder kill. Oakland answed with kills from Reck and Hosford and pulled within 19-17 on a YSU attack error, but the visitors scored the next three points before finishing the set.
Oakland erased an early three-point deficit and tied the third set at 8-8, but YSU answered with five straight points and stayed in front the rest of the way. Opposite hitter
Caroline Moore helped Oakland get back into the set with early kills, while Cooney and Reck combined on a block before
Liv Hosford's kill and a YSU setting error brought the score level. After the Penguins moved ahead 13-8, Oakland continued to trade points behind kills from Iweajunwa, Moore and Reck. Reck added a service ace and Hosford followed with a kill to pull Oakland within 18-15, but YSU closed out the set 25-17.
Wrapping up the final weekend in the regular season, Oakland heads to Northern Illinois Thursday, Nov. 12 to face the Huskies at 6 p.m. ET before a meeting with Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday, Nov. 13. Both matches are available to stream on ESPN+.
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.
