In the second matchup against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons, the Golden Grizzlies came up short at the Gates Sports Center on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Set One
The match started with intense back-and-forth action as both teams fought for control. Purdue Fort Wayne opened up with a service ace but quickly followed with a service error, giving Oakland their first point.
Gentry Brown started to spark Oakland’s offense. Purdue Fort Wayne, however, seized control and established their lead, which proved difficult for the Golden Grizzlies to overcome.
Purdue Fort Wayne took advantage of Oakland’s missteps to keep their lead intact, and their continued surge gave them the first set, 25-20.
Set Two
Oakland began the second set with a serve from Rachel Rossman. Key plays helped shift the momentum in their favor, allowing them to build a slight lead as the set progressed.
Defensively, the Golden Grizzlies stepped up and made crucial stops. At a tied 13-13 score, Ainsley Guse and Brown came up with a big-time block. The Mastodons attempted to climb back, which was successful momentarily, but Oakland stayed focused and finished strong to secure the win, 25-22.
Set Three
Oakland had a lot of strong contributions at the net, particularly from Christina Bohm and Sydney Green, as both teams exchanged points early on. Green had eight kills in 14 swings.
The Golden Grizzlies showed tenacity, rallying to tie the score. However, Purdue Fort Wayne’s Iris Riegel had a strong swing, and they took the two-point lead at 22-20.
A late effort from Brown to the middle off LonDynn Betts brought Oakland closer at 24-22, but the Mastodon’s set point consisted of an Oakland unsuccessful block, giving Purdue Fort Wayne the third set of the afternoon.
Set Four
After a rocky start, when the Mastodons led 3-0, Oakland found its rhythm with much-needed action from Tyler Linkhart and Green. A free-ball chance for Oakland led to a kill from Bohm, putting Oakland ahead 11-9.
The Mastodons couldn’t handle the Golden Grizzlies’ attackers, and Oakland took a commanding 22-16 lead and never looked back. Purdue Fort Wayne managed just one more point as the Golden Grizzlies dominated, winning the fourth set 25-17 to force an additional set.
Set Five
The Mastodons jumped to a quick 4-0 lead. The Golden Grizzlies finally got on the board with a kill and block from Green, narrowing the score to 4-2. Purdue Fort Wayne regained momentum swiftly, driven by Panna Ratkai’s three kills in the set, pushing the score to an 8-3 lead in favor of the Mastodons.
Libby Smith’s contributions were a bright spot for the team on the front line. The Mastodons, though, found success in their serving, and eventually, that was the deal-breaker. Oakland made a late run, but a tip by Riley Rosneck helped Purdue Fort Wayne conclude the final set, 15-7
Green led the Golden Grizzlies with 16 kills, Brown and Smith added 11 each, and Bohm had seven kills. Rossman recorded two service aces, and Emily Wichmann had 20 digs.
What’s Next?
The Golden Grizzlies will head to Wisconsin to play the Green Bay Phoenix on Friday, Oct. 18, and Saturday, Oct. 19. Both matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.