ROCHESTER, Mich. – In a pivotal matchup against the Youngstown State Penguins, the Golden Grizzlies volleyball team battled until the very end in a five-set match but fell, 3-2, here tonight at the Beeghly Center.
SET ONE: OAKLAND 25, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 23
The first set of the evening started with the Golden Grizzlies and the Penguins trading points. Despite impressive kills from Libby Smith and Elin Schott, neither Oakland nor Youngstown State could pull ahead by more than two points.
The Golden Grizzlies' and Penguins' competitiveness continued midway through the set. While Oakland and Youngstown State could build small leads, the other team continued to respond, making set one a close affair as the Golden Grizzlies held a two-point lead heading into the media timeout.
Following the media timeout, Oakland refused to give the Penguins a chance to take back the lead. A kill from Lillian Frias and a Youngstown State attack error gave the Golden Grizzlies their first comfortable lead of the evening, as they led, 22-17, late into the first set.
Although the Penguins tried to stage a comeback, a Smith kill secured the first set for Oakland. The set one victory took a total team effort, as six Golden Grizzlies recorded kills.
SET TWO: OAKLAND 25, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 18
At the start of the second set, Gentry Brown sparked a 4-1 run for Oakland with a kill to give the Golden Grizzlies some breathing room after a close first set. Despite the decisive start, the Penguins weren't going anywhere, and both teams began to trade points.
After a massive block from Ainsley Guse and Brown, the Golden Grizzlies started to gain control of the set. Frias and Brown followed up the block with consecutive kills to give Oakland their largest lead of the second set at the time, 14-10.
With the second set coming to a close, the Golden Grizzlies kept the Penguins at bay as they continued to build on their lead, thanks to strong play from Smith and Rachel Rossman. Two errors from Youngstown State sealed set two for Oakland, 25-18.
SET THREE: OAKLAND 21, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 25
The Golden Grizzlies' strong second-set finish carried over to the third set. With Smith serving, the Penguins made a flurry of attacking errors, and Oakland held a dominant five-point lead right out of the gate.
Although the Golden Grizzlies started strong, the Penguins slowly battled back throughout the third set. Around the halfway point, another decisive kill from Brown kept the Golden Grizzlies ahead, 15-14.
As the third set neared the end, the Penguins started to gain control of the set. After taking the lead away from Oakland, Gabriela Machin extended the Youngstown State lead to four points.
Despite the Penguins' late push, the Golden Grizzlies battled until the very end, at one point coming just one point away from Youngstown State. However, the Penguins ultimately took the third set after a block by Kelsey Cooper and Machin.
SET FOUR: OAKLAND 11, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 25
To start the fourth set, the Penguins proved this was a match of momentum. Although the Golden Grizzlies scored the first two points of the set, a kill from Youngstown State's Kelsey Cooper started a run that gave the Penguins the lead in the set's early stages.
Halfway into set four, the Penguins continued to get the best of Oakland. Following a kill from Abbie Householder, Youngstown State tallied the next six points. The run gave the Penguins a 13-4 lead over the Golden Grizzlies.
Despite the uphill battle, Oakland gave it their all the rest of the set. Notably, Smith and Guse notched the last points for the Golden Grizzlies in the fourth set.
SET FIVE: OAKLAND 13, YOUNGSTOWN STATE 15
The Golden Grizzlies and the Penguins were at an impasse in the match's final set. The Golden Grizzlies made big plays, with consecutive blocks from Tyler Linkhart and Guse, yet neither team could pull ahead of the other.
As the set continued, Oakland and Youngstown State traded points into the match's final moments. However, the Penguins eventually pulled away from the Golden Grizzlies at the very end.
By the end of the match, defensive specialist Emily Wichmann set a new season-high in digs with 34, Brown tied her season-high in kills with 18, and Rossman led the team in assists with 40.
Next, the Golden Grizzlies will look to get back on track as they play the Penguins again tomorrow at the Beeghly Center. First serve is set for 2 p.m. ET, and the match will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
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