ROCHESTER, Mich. – In a hard-fought and resilient battle that lasted a full five sets, the Oakland Golden Grizzlies volleyball team fell to the Milwaukee Panthers.
SET ONE: OAKLAND 25, MILWAUKEE 17
The Golden Grizzlies started off the game, and the first set, very strong. Three kills from Gentry Brown gave Oakland an early lead against the Panthers, and the Golden Grizzlies continued to build upon their lead, backed by a solid defensive effort from Ainsley Guse.
In the rest of the first set, the Golden Grizzlies continued to expand their lead over the Panthers. Remarkably, Emily Wichmann and Christina Bohm recorded service aces for the Golden Grizzlies midway through the first set, keeping the momentum on Oakland's side.
Despite a great start for the Golden Grizzlies, Milwaukee did show signs of life later in the set, scoring five straight points. However, the Panther's efforts were insufficient, as a kill from Olivia Rust closed out the first set in favor of the Golden Grizzlies.
SET TWO: OAKLAND 25, MILWAUKEE 23
The Golden Grizzlies' momentum slowed after the first change of sides, with the second set being much more contested early.
Oakland would once again take control after an attack error by Milwaukee's Lakyn Graves, which gave the Golden Grizzlies a four-point lead. Despite this, the visiting Panthers would etch a comeback once Oakland hit the 10-point mark.
Kills by Libby Smith and Gentry Brown stole the momentum back from Milwaukee, and the Panthers looked to have cemented set defeat with numerous attack and service errors.
However, another spirited effort by Milwaukee forced the Golden Grizzlies into a timeout, up 23-21. After a consecutive exchange of points, a Christina Bohm kill won the Golden Grizzlies the set.
SET THREE: OAKLAND 24, MILWAUKEE 26
In the third set of the game, the Golden Grizzlies and the Panthers opened the set with a ton of back-and-forth action. Neither team could build a substantial lead over the other, and Oakland and Milwaukee continued to trade points.
The Golden Grizzlies finally broke the stalemate nearly halfway through the third set. After kills from Smith and Tyler Linkhart, Oakland surged to a five-point lead, which turned out to be their largest lead of the set.
As the set progressed, the Panthers crawled back, scoring five straight points and taking a three-point lead late into the third set. Despite the Golden Grizzlies making a late push to tie the game at 24-24, Madi Malone of the Panthers fired off consecutive kills to win the Panthers' first set of the evening.
SET FOUR: OAKLAND 19, MILWAUKEE 25
The fourth set would open with a 4-1 run from the Golden Grizzlies, highlighted by two kills from Smith. Milwaukee would follow with five unanswered points, taking a two-point lead over the Golden Grizzlies.
Successive Oakland attack errors allowed Milwaukee to stretch its lead to as much as six, which led to a Golden Grizzlies timeout, 8-14.
Out of the Oakland timeout, an Olivia Rust kill and attack error by Lakyn Graves of the Panthers forced Milwaukee into calling timeout of its own.
The Panthers would stretch their lead to as much as eight. They'd never lose momentum to finish the set, setting the match up for a decisive fifth and final set.
SET FIVE: OAKLAND 10, MILWAUKEE 15
Milwaukee opened the fifth and final set by scoring the set's first three points. Although the Panthers had a hot start, Oakland fought back with a vengeance, and a Milwaukee attack error brought the game back within reach at 6-6.
With the set all tied up, the Panthers started to pull away from the Golden Grizzlies, leading 14-7 at one point. Still, despite an enormous deficit to makeup, Oakland went on a small run at the end of the match, ultimately losing 15-10.
At the game's conclusion, Smith led the team in kills with 14, Rossman dished out 31 assists and Wichmann tallied a season-high 31 digs. Additionally, Bohm locked down the front of the net with five blocks in total.
Up next, the Golden Grizzlies will look to turn things around as the team hosts the Panthers again for a rematch tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 28, at the OU Credit Union O'Rena at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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