ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Golden Grizzlies volleyball team opens the 2026 regular season this weekend in Toledo, as they are set to compete in the Rocket Invitational against Binghamton, Bradley, and host Toledo.
Starting their 50th season of competition as a varsity program at Oakland, head coach Krista Rice looks to continue improving after a 7-23 (7-11 HL) record last season. The Golden Grizzlies welcome five new additions, returning a bulk of their roster, including seniors Kalli Cook, Ella Martin, and Ella Schomer.
Following a pair of exhibition wins against Grand Valley and Wayne State earlier this month, the Horizon League announced its 2026 preseason poll, with the Golden Grizzlies set to finish in ninth place, against a seventh-place finish at the end of 2025.
FRIDAY, AUG. 28
OPPONENT: Binghamton
TIME: 2:30 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Based in South-Central New York in the America East Conference, Oakland and Binghamton have met one other time in program history resulting in a 3-1 neutral site win for the Black and Gold.
The Bearcats were picked third in their conference poll and added a pair of right-side hitters to the America East Preseason All-Conference Team. Binghamton finished last season 14-16 overall, with a 6-4 conference record before dropping to No. 1 seed UMBC in the semifinals of the America East Volleyball Tournament.
SATURDAY, AUG. 30
OPPONENT: Bradley
TIME: 3:00 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS
OPPONENT: Toledo
TIME: 7:00 p.m. ET
LIVE STATS | TICKETS
STREAM: ESPN+
SCOUTING THE BRAVES
Saturday afternoon's match will be the fourth all-time meeting between Oakland and Bradley. The Golden Grizzlies look to even the series at 2-2 as Bradley had taken 3-1 wins in 2005 and 2019 before the Black and Gold defeated the Braves in five sets on the Blacktop in 2021.
In her fifth season as head coach, Alicia Williams brought in four freshmen for a total of six newcomers as Bradley came off a 13-15 record in 2025.They finished tied eighth in the Missouri Valley, missing the tournament after making postseason runs under Williams twice in her tenure.
SCOUTING THE ROCKETS
The reigning MAC Champions were tabbed the preseason favorite in the 2026 along with Jessica Costlow, Grace Freiberger, Olivia Heitkamp, and Sierra Pertzborn named to the 2026 MAC Preseason Team. Going 11-7 in conference action, the Rockets were the No. 4 seed in the MAC Volleyball Tournament, earning their first NCAA Tournament berth after defeating Western Michigan.
Head coach Brian Wright and the Rockets hold the upper edge over Oakland in the all-time series, leading 9-4 despite the Black and Gold winning the last two meetings. The Golden Grizzlies last saw Toledo in Savage Arena for a Tuesday midweek in 2023, taking the Rockets to five sets and extra points for a road victory.
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.
