ROCHESTER, Mich. — Head coach
Krista Rice and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (3-5, 0-0 HL) split Friday at the OU Credit Union O'rena on their first day of the Golden Grizzlies Invitational. The Black and Gold lost to UAB (5-3, 0-0 AAC), 3-1 (17-25, 25-19, 20-25 and 21-25) in the morning, as the Golden Grizzlies swept Montana (3-4, 0-0 Big Sky) 3-0 (28-26, 25-15, 25-18) for the nightcap. Against the Blazers, their lone set win came after it turned a 10-9 deficit into a 14-11 lead in the second set. Oakland finished with 50 kills and 55 digs, but hit .122 while UAB hit .258 and totaled 18 blocks. Later that night, they finished with 48 kills and a .238 hitting percentage while holding the Grizzlies to 34 kills and a season-low .097 mark. The Golden Grizzlies also had 56 digs and nine total blocks in the win.
MATCH 1: UAB 3, OU 1
Setter
Delaney Stern finished with 34 assists, nine digs, two kills, and an ace, as outside hitter
Liv Hosford posted 10 kills, 12 digs, three block assists, and added an ace as well. Middle blocker
Lillian Frias recorded 10 kills on 17 attacks while hitting off a .353 chart and added two block assists. Opposite hitter
Ella Schomer added nine kills, five digs and four total blocks.
Oakland stayed even through outside hitter
Molly Reck's kill for 4-4, but the Blazers created separation with service pressure and blocks, moving ahead 17-7 after a five-point run. Frias helped Oakland answer with kills at 18-9 and 19-12, and
Kiley Gallagher added a service ace during a three-point push that brought the set to 18-11. Schomer put down back-to-back late kills before the Blazers closed the opening set, 25-17.
OU turned a 10-9 deficit into a 16-11 lead by winning seven of eight rallies, with Hosford serving for the final four points of that push and adding a service ace. After the Blazers got within 21-19, Oakland closed the set with four straight points, including kills by Hosford, Schomer, and Reck. The run finished off a 25-19 set win for Oakland.
Oakland's main push in the third set came with Reck serving, when Frias and Hosford put down kills, and Hosford teamed with Frias on a block during a four-point run that cut the Blazers' lead from 20-13 to 20-17. The Blazers moved to set point at 24-17, and although Hosford and middle blocker
Ellen Zapp added late kills and Hosford combined with Zapp for a block, Oakland dropped the set 25-20.
The home team cut the Blazers' lead from 20-15 to 20-19 in the fourth set, getting an outside hitter
Olivia Rust kill and a Zapp/Hosford block during the four-point stretch. Earlier, Schomer, Frias and Reck each had kills as Oakland moved from 16-11 down to 16-14. The Blazers answered late and took the set, 25-21.
MATCH 2: OU 3, Montana 0
Hosford finished with 19 kills, hit .342, and totaled 21.5 points for the Black and Gold, recording at least three total blocks in two consecutive games. Stern recorded 35 assists, season-high 14 digs, two kills, and two blocks. Frias added 10 kills on a .563 hitting percentage with three blocks, achieving a season-high hitting percentage, while Zapp tallied eight kills, four blocks and a service ace.
The Golden Grizzlies closed the first set by scoring four of the final five points after the Grizzlies moved ahead 25-24, finishing the 28-26 win on a Grizzlies attack error. Earlier, Oakland answered a 10-6 deficit by winning seven of the next eight rallies, getting kills from Zapp and Hosford during the stretch to move in front 13-11.
Oakland answered a 6-4 deficit with six straight points to move in front 10-6, with defensive specialist
Kiley Gallagher serving the final five points of that surge and Frias finishing the last two on kills from Stern. The lead grew with another 7-0 stretch to 17-7 as Frias, Hosford and Stern all put away kills. Oakland closed the set 25-15 on a Frias kill from Stern.
Oakland broke open the third set from 20-17 with four straight points on Stern's serve, getting three Hosford kills and a Schomer kill to reach set point at 24-17. After the Grizzlies took the next point, Hosford finished the set with another kill from libero
Kalli Cook for a 25-18 Oakland win.
Oakland will wrap up the final day of the Golden Grizzly Invitational as they host Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 3 p.m. at the OU Credit Union O'rena.
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.
