ROCHESTER, Mich. — It was an open-and-shut match for the Golden Grizzlies volleyball team, who swept the Robert Morris Colonials, 3-0, in the team's first Horizon League win tonight at the OU Credit Union O'rena.
SET ONE: OAKLAND 31, ROBERT MORRIS 29
The Golden Grizzlies opened the first set with momentum on their side, leading the Colonials early, 5-2. However, Robert Morris crawled back during the early stages of the set, and the set soon became a back-and-forth affair between both teams.
Despite the Colonials' resilience, Oakland started to build back the lead they had early in the game. With a service ace from Tyler Linkhart and three consecutive kills from Lillian Frias, the Golden Grizzlies jumped ahead 12-7, forcing Robert Morris into a timeout.
In the set's closing moments, more intense back-and-forth action ensued between Oakland and Robert Morris. With the score tied at one point, 29-29, a kill from Christina Bohm and an attack error by the Colonials gave Oakland a set-one victory.
SET TWO: OAKLAND 25, ROBERT MORRIS 21
At the start of the second set, the Golden Grizzlies wasted no time keeping up the momentum from their win in the first set, taking the early lead over Robert Morris. A kill from Linkhart, a block from Ainsley Guse and Libby Smith, and a service ace from Olivia Rust sparked a massive 6-0 run by Oakland in the set's opening moments.
As the set continued, the Golden Grizzlies battled hard as a team and retained their lead over the Colonials. Five Golden Grizzlies tallied kills at the midway point in the second set. Additionally, Linkhart continued to cause issues for Robert Morris, sending multiple powerful kills to the Colonials' side of the court.
With the second set coming to a close, Oakland retained a small lead over Robert Morris, the same lead the team earned at the start of the set. The Colonials did chip into the Oakland lead late, but the Golden Grizzlies ended the second set on top after another powerful Linkhart kill gave Oakland their final point.
SET THREE: OAKLAND 25, ROBERT MORRIS 21
Oakland and Robert Morris were at a stalemate at the beginning of the third set. The Golden Grizzlies eventually started to build a lead in the third set following multiple Colonial attack and service errors, but the Colonials kept the game within reach.
Oakland and Robert Morris were tied at the halfway point of the third set, however, a kill from Smith and another attack error from Robert Morris moved the needle for the Golden Grizzlies, who entered a media timeout leading the Colonials, 15-13.
With the third set nearing the end, Robert Morris could not stop the Golden Grizzlies. Two consecutive kills off the hands of Guse and Olivia Rust gave Oakland a four-point lead, their largest of the set, in the set's final moments.
Needing just one more point for their first conference win of the season, Guse delivered. A perfect set from Rachel Rossman put Guse in the ideal position to score the match's final point, giving the Golden Grizzlies their first conference win of the season.
At the match's conclusion, Linkhart led the Golden Grizzlies in kills with 12, and Emily Wichmann again led Oakland in digs with 31. Additionally, Rossman had the most assists for the black and gold, with 24 in the match.
Next, the Golden Grizzlies will look to earn another conference win against the Colonials tomorrow (Oct. 5) at the OU Credit Union O'Rena. First serve is set for 2 p.m., and all OU faculty and staff can attend the game for free. The game will also be broadcast live on ESPN+.
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