ROCHESTER, Mich. – In a decisive five-set match, the Golden Grizzlies volleyball team came up just short of their first conference win of the season against the Milwaukee Panthers from the OU Credit Union O'Rena.
SET ONE: OAKLAND 25, MILWAUKEE 13
In the first set of the afternoon, the Golden Grizzlies wasted no time putting points on the board. Backed by their strong defense, Oakland went on a 3-0 run early in the first set. All three points during the run came as kills from Lillian Frias, Olivia Rust and Gentry Brown.
With a comfortable lead midway through set one, the Golden Grizzlies continued to build momentum and expand their lead further. The Panthers were able to string together some tough offensive plays, but Oakland continued to run away with the first set, leaving Milwaukee no chance.
Winning the first set took a total team effort from the Golden Grizzlies. Six different players recorded kills in the first set, and Delaney Stern was a crucial driving force behind the offense with nine assists through the first.
SET TWO: OAKLAND 22, MILWAUKEE 25
The Golden Grizzlies started off the second set of the game very strong. Although the second set started off much closer than the first, Oakland stayed in the driver's seat and refused to give up a lead to the Panthers.
As the set continued, Milwaukee eventually tied things up at 10-10, and neither team could pull away from each other, with both teams staying either tied or ahead by a single point. Despite some powerful kills from Brown and Ainsley Guse, the Panthers kept finding ways to keep things tied up.
In the closing minutes of the set, the Panthers started to build a sizable lead after a service ace from Lakyn Graves and a kill from Czhen Beneby. Oakland tried to mount a late comeback with a kill from Rust, but the Milwaukee lead was too much to handle, and the Panthers came away as the winners of the second set.
SET THREE: OAKLAND 22, MILWAUKEE 25
Holding on to much of the momentum from the previous set, Milwaukee took an early lead to start the third set. Still, the Golden Grizzlies remained determined to keep themselves in the set, backed by massive kills from Libby Smith and Tyler Linkhart.
Despite the efforts from Smith and Linkhart, the Panthers, once again, started to pull away from the Golden Grizzlies. Midway through the third set, a 6-2 run from Milwaukee elevated the Panthers to an 18-12 lead over Oakland.
Although the Golden Grizzlies tried their best to make a comeback toward the end of the third set, coming within three points of the Panthers, Milwaukee kept their lead safe, winning set three.
SET FOUR: OAKLAND 25, MILWAUKEE 21
In the fourth set, the Golden Grizzlies came out with a different kind of energy compared to the previous two sets. With more aggression at the front of the net, Oakland took an early lead over the Panthers, with five different Golden Grizzlies all recording kills to make the score 10-7.
As the fourth set continued, Oakland continued to build upon their lead. In two pivotal moments, Stern had a service ace, and Rust followed it up with a kill to give the Golden Grizzlies a dominant 19-12 lead.
The Panthers were able to cut into the Oakland lead slightly towards the end. However, the Golden Grizzlies ultimately ran away with set four.
SET FIVE: OAKLAND 10, MILWAUKEE 15
Rachel Rossman got the Golden Grizzlies started in the final set of the night, scoring the first point for Oakland with a kill. However, the Panthers came into set five with some early aggression, jumping ahead to a 5-2 lead.
With the momentum on their side, Milwaukee never gave up the lead against a resilient Oakland squad that fought until the very end. Ultimately, the Panthers got the best of the Golden Grizzlies 3-2.
At the end of the match, Rust and Linkhart led the Golden Grizzlies in kills with 12 a piece, Emily Wichmann came up huge defensively, recording a team-high 28 digs and Stern recorded a season-high on her way to lead all Oakland players in assists with 27 on the day. In addition to Stern, Rust's 12 kills are also a season-high for the first-year student.
Next, the Golden Grizzlies will take a short road trip in hunt of their first conference win to Wooding Gymnasium on Tuesday, Oct. 1, to face the Cleveland State Vikings. The first serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. EST.
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