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Volleyball Goes 2-0 Over Oakland, Continuing Undefeated Season

Volleyball | Photo by Diana Jaber | The Wright State Guardian

Volleyball | Photo by Diana Jaber | The Wright State Guardian


Women’s volleyball goes 2-0 over Oakland, continuing their undefeated season. 

Summary 

The women’s volleyball team continued their undefeated season with two wins over Oakland 3-1 and 3-0. The set they lost not only was ridiculously long ending at 38-36, but it was the first set they have lost all year.  

After this weekend’s games, both the Raiders and the UIC Flames are 6-0 and at the top of the standings, followed by Purdue Fort Wayne at 4-2.  The Flames have only dropped two sets all year, and the Raiders have only dropped one, as both teams are playing in top form to start the season. 

The players to watch for the weekend’s action were Oakland’s freshman star Patti Cesarini with 32 kills over both games, Wright State’s Teddie Sauer with 19 kills and seven blocks in game one, and Wright State’s Jenna Story with 74 digs over both games. 

Game One (25-17, 25-20, 36-38, 25-21) 

Just like their first four games, the Raiders scored important points due to their serves and blocks, winning aces 9-5 and blocking 13-5. Callie Martin hit four aces in the match for the Raiders, and Teddie Sauer with Megan Alders combined for 12 blocks to deny the Oakland offense. 

They finished the match with a 0.185 hitting percentage to Oakland’s 0.131, hitting 0.333 in the first set versus Oakland’s 0.07. The Grizzlies had 43 total attempts in the set to the Raiders’ 39, but their three errors versus Oakland’s eight gave them the set 25-17. 

The Raider defense was also incredibly solid throughout the game, with three Wright State players securing 20 digs or above to keep them in rallies.   

Both teams fought hard in the third set, with Wright State going out to a big lead early 12-3, but the Grizzlies hit back just as hard to tie the set at 24.   

The set would tie 13 more times, with eight Wright State match-point opportunities, but 13 kills from middle hitter Jamie Walling denied Wright State their fifth straight sweep, and a kill from Brittany Welch gave the Raiders their first set loss of the season. 

Both teams started out even in the fourth set, but six service aces from the Raiders pushed them ahead, broke the Oakland defense and continued their undefeated season, winning the set 25-21. 

Game Two (25-14, 25-18, 25-20) 

The Raiders won even more convincingly in match two, with Wright State hitting 0.287 with seven errors through the game and Oakland hitting at a season low 0.124 hitting with 20 errors. 

Offensively, Cesarini hit her fourth straight match for the Grizzlies with double digit kills, but three Wright State players hitting double digits won the Raiders the kills fight 48-39. In assists Lainey Stephenson’s 33 led the Raiders versus Madison Ross’s 18, winning that battle as well 42-32. 

Wright State won blocks and aces once again 5-3 4-2, with Celia Powers’s hustle securing three blocks and two aces for the Raiders. 

Defensively Jenna Story tied her digs from the day before, hitting 37 to Lindsay Wightman’s 28.  Additionally, Stephenson’s and Ruskaup’s 13 each gave the Raiders 87 total digs throughout the match. 

The Raiders won in nearly every metric, as a kill from Nyssa Baker secured their fifth sweep this season and their 6th straight win 3-0. 


Noah Kindig

Sports Reporter

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