Volleyball defeats No. 1 Milwaukee

The Milwaukee Panthers entered the O’rena on a 15-game winning streak. In a five-set match, the Golden Grizzlies defeated the Panthers, 3-2, ending their winning streak and giving them their first Horizon League loss.

Jamie Walling led the team in both kills (26) and blocks (seven) as Oakland University improved to 3-3 in Horizon League play and 10-8 overall. Walling now has four matches this season with over 20 kills.

This win over Milwaukee marks Oakland’s third in a row, as they head into a lengthy road trip in league play.

“I think the coaches did a great job putting together a game plan with input of the players,” Head Coach Rob Beam told GrizzVision. “I thought the players did a really good job on their scout prep this week.”

The match started with Milwaukee taking the first set by two points, 25-23. After that, Oakland went on a run, winning the next two sets and taking a 2-1 lead. The Panthers weren’t dead yet, as they took the fourth set 25-20. In the final set, Oakland was able to secure a close victory, with a 15-13 final set.

“Ultimately it came down to a few sets at the end where we had some good serves and setters did a great job,” Beam told GrizzVision. “Jamie Walling also proved she is one of the best players in our conference and certainly one of the best players in the country, and finished the game off with several straight kills.”

The Golden Grizzlies volleyball team heads on the road for four consecutive Horizon League matches. They will have back-to-back matches in Ohio against Cleveland State and Youngstown State, then they head west for matches against the University of Illinois-Chicago and Green Bay. Their next home fixture is Saturday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. against Cleveland State on LGBTQIA+ Pride Night.