ROCHESTER, Mich. \u2014 Oakland (10-12, 5-5 Horizon) defeated Cleveland St. (3-18, 0-10 Horizon), 3-,1 on Saturday afternoon, with set scores of 25-23, 23-25, 25-23 and 25-20. Oakland finished with 63 kills and a .272 hitting percentage, while CSU had 48 kills and hit .224. In the fourth set, the Golden Grizzlies moved from a 7-8 deficit to a 13-8 lead before taking the set 25-20.<\/p>\n
Outside hitter Liv Hosford<\/a> led Oakland with 20.0 points, recording 18 kills, 12 digs, and two service aces. Opposite hitter Olivia Rust<\/a> added 17 kills while hitting .343 for 17.5 points. Setter Delaney Stern<\/a> finished with 56 assists and 16 digs. Libero Kalli Cook<\/a> collected a team-high 17 digs and added four assists.<\/p>\n Oakland’s closing response secured a 25-23 first-set win, as outside hitter Molly Reck<\/a> and middle blocker Lillian Frias<\/a> delivered the final two kills after CSU tied the score at 23-23. The Black and Gold opened the set with consecutive points, including middle blocker Ellen Zapp’s<\/a> block, and kept answering CSU swings with kills set by Stern for Reck, Rust, and Frias. Hosford helped the Golden Grizzlies create mid-set separation with a service ace and a kill for a 12-10 lead, then added another kill and ace later as OU moved ahead 21-19. CSU continued to pull even late, but Reck’s kill from Stern brought Oakland to set point before Frias finished the set.<\/p>\n Oakland led as late as 21-20 in the second set, but CSU took the set 25-23. The Golden Grizzlies erased a 6-5 deficit by winning five of the next six points to start set two, with Hosford tying the set and moving Oakland ahead on consecutive Stern assists before Zapp added back-to-back kills. After CSU pulled even at 12-12, Rust had two kills in a three-point OU response that made it 15-12, and Hosford later put down consecutive kills from Stern for a 19-16 lead. CSU rallied to 20-19, Oakland tied it on Zapp’s block and went back in front on an attack error, but Rust’s late kill only pulled the Black and Gold within 24-23 before CSU finished the set.<\/p>\n Oakland flipped the third set after falling behind 18-17, winning five of the next six points as Hosford delivered four kills to move the Golden Grizzlies ahead 22-19. The team built a 9-5 lead with repeated finishes from Rust and Hosford, along with service aces from Zapp and Reck. CSU answered with service points and blocking to take a 12-10 lead, but the Golden Grizzlies worked back with kills from Frias, Rust, Reck, and Hosford as the set stayed tight into the late points. After CSU tied it at 23-23, Zapp put Oakland at set point with a kill from Stern, and Reck and Frias were credited on the block that ended the 25-23 set win.<\/p>\n Oakland used the fourth set’s biggest verified stretch to move in front, with Hosford serving a 5-0 and answering an 8-7 deficit with six straight points and carrying that advantage to a 25-20 finish. Hosford’s start included kills from Zapp, Reck, and Rust, plus a block by Zapp and Rust, before CSU worked back to take an 8-7 lead. Reck tied the set with a kill, then served five straight points for the Black and Gold, adding two aces while Frias and Hosford finished swings to put the team ahead 13-8. Oakland kept CSU from stringing together a late comeback, getting kills from Rust, Reck, and Hosford before Rust’s final kill brought OU to set point at 24-18. CSU scored the next two points, but a service error ended the set with the Golden Grizzlies winning 25-20.<\/p>\n The Golden Grizzlies return to the Blacktop to host a two-match series with Milwaukee on \u00a0Oct. 30-31. Streaming will be available on ESPN+, with first serve on Friday set for 6 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n How to Follow Oakland Volleyball:\u00a0For complete information on Oakland Volleyball, follow the team on X at\u00a0@OaklandWVB<\/a>\u00a0and head coach\u00a0Krista Rice<\/a>\u00a0at\u00a0@KKg1007<\/a>. The team is also on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n