ROCHESTER, Mich. — Oakland (5-6, 0-0 HL) took care of the Marist Red Foxes (4-7, 0-0 Metro), 3-2 (25-17, 17-25, 25-12, 23-25, 15-11), on Friday night at the OU Credit Union O'rena. Oakland turned a 7-8 deficit into a 12-9 lead in the fifth set before closing out the match, picking up their first five-set win of the season. The Golden Grizzlies finished with 64 kills and hit .262 and stuffed a season-high 13 blocks, while holding the Red Foxes to a .165 attacking percentage.
Outside hitter
Liv Hosford led Oakland with 18 kills, adding 19 digs for a double-double, as outside hitter
Molly Reck finished with 14 kills on a .361 hitting percentage and matched Hosford with 19 digs, while stuffing two solo blocks for the first time this season. Setter
Delaney Stern led the offense, recording 52 assists, three service aces and nine digs. Middle blocker
Lillian Frias added 11 kills while hitting .333 and led Oakland with six total blocks.
Oakland turned an early 3-1 deficit into a 6-3 lead, using a middle blocker
Grace Cooney kill, a Reck block and two Red Foxes attack errors during Hosford's four-point service stretch. Marist came back to tie the set at 8, 9 and 10, but Oakland answered each time, with Stern and Hosford delivering kills before Stern's ace made it 12-10. Oakland created more separation with four straight points from 14-13 to 18-13, a run that included two Reck kills and a Frias block. After the Red Foxes pulled within 21-17, Cooney had two kills around a Marist error and Stern ace as Oakland closed the set 25-17.
Oakland stayed within a point midway through the second set before the Red Foxes used a seven-point stretch to turn a 13-12 score into a 20-12 lead. Earlier, Cooney put down two kills from Stern, and Oakland tied the set at 5-5 on a
Kalli Cook service ace after opposite hitter
Ella Schomer and Frias combined on a block. The Golden Grizzlies later moved ahead 8-7 behind consecutive kills from Frias and Hosford, both assisted by Stern, and answered an 11-9 deficit with a Hosford kill and a Stern-Cooney block to tie it at 11-11. The Red Foxes regained control after that, but Oakland added late kills from Hosford, Reck and Schomer before the Red Foxes finished the set, 25-17.
The Black and Gold never trailed in the third set and finished it with a 25-12 win, closing on defensive specialist
Kate Vrabel's serve as Cooney's block and Hosford's final kill accounted for the last two points. Earlier, Hosford and Schomer opened the set with kills, and defensive specialist
Kiley Gallagher followed with back-to-back service aces to move Oakland in front 6-2. Oakland continued to separate at the net, with Stern and Frias combining on a block before Hosford added a kill for a 9-3 advantage, and Stern later served an ace during a stretch that included a Cooney kill, another Hosford kill, and a Hosford block for 14-5. Frias, Reck and Hosford supplied late kills, Gallagher added another ace, and Reck and Cooney each had blocks as Oakland closed out the set.
Oakland nearly extended the fourth set after the Red Foxes reached 24-20, getting a Hosford kill, a block from middle blocker
Ellen Zapp and Schomer, and a Schomer kill to pull within 24-23 before the Red Foxes finished the 25-23 set. Earlier, the Golden Grizzlies traded points through the opening stretch, with Hosford delivering two early kills and a service ace as Oakland tied the set at 3-3, and Reck adding a kill and an ace to even it again at 8-8. Marist moved ahead 13-9, but Oakland responded with kills from Cooney, Hosford and Reck, then later tied the set at 17-17 on a Red Foxes attack error. Hosford finished with seven kills in the set, while Stern set up much of Oakland's offense, but the Red Foxes held off each late push to take the fourth.
Oakland turned an 8-7 deficit into a 12-9 lead in the fifth set, using kills from Hosford, Schomer and Frias along with a block by Zapp and Schomer to move in front. Earlier, Oakland stayed even through the opening exchanges behind two Reck kills and a Frias kill, with Stern setting up several of Oakland's swings. After Oakland reached 12-9, Frias and Zapp combined on a block to make it 13-9, and Frias added another kill for set point at 14-10. Marist got a point back, but Frias' block on the final rally closed Oakland's 15-11 fifth-set win.
With a day off on Saturday, Oakland will be back to host Illinois State on Sunday, Sept. 20, at 2 p.m. ET 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
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