The Golden Grizzlies fell short in four sets on the final day of the Saluki Invitational.
Set one
The Grizzlies quickly got it going, firing back-to-back aces that put them in a good position to start set one. Southern Illinois (SIU) eventually showed their intention to keep up with the Grizzlies.
The teams rallied for a long time at a 2-2 score, but Patti Cesarini put a stop to it with a powerful block. The senior thereafter continued to shine, delivering a swing right down the middle, showing she could easily find those openings against her opponents.
Her back-to-back kills gave her early numbers in the scoring department. The Salukis’ Natalie Garcia responded and had two straight kills that momentarily gave SIU a one-point edge, but a service error by SIU allowed the Grizzlies to regain possession.
Oakland’s Ainsley Guse began to find her rhythm that ignited a scoring run, pushing the Grizzlies ahead to a 19-14 lead. Late in the set, however, the Grizzlies’ defense became an issue, and Garcia was able to get hot again. SIU went on a 3-0 run, narrowing their gap and eventually tying it all up at 21, but with the momentum in the Grizzlies’ favor, they kept their foot on the pedal.
Guse sealed the deal with a killer spike, and the Grizzlies took set one, 25-22.
Set 2
Defensive specialist Emily Wichhmann had an ace early. SIU rallied and went on a 5-0 run, taking a 9-6 lead and racking up six blocks as a team. As SIU continued to add to their lead, Cesarini got into her groove again, accumulating eight kills, cutting Oakland’s deficit to 16-14. This set was a tight one, but back-to-back-aces by SIU concluded it at 25-19.
Set 3
The showdown during set three consisted of several ties to start. Libby Gentile had some major kills that propelled Oakland to an 11-9 lead. The set remained closely contested, and neither team could get ahead. SIU eventually took control, and Oakland found themselves in a tough situation, struggling to strike their offense again. The Salukis’ Annabelle Sulish’s 10th kill of the game put them on top to take a 2-1 set match lead, 25-21.
Set 4
The Grizzlies came in with more determination and picked the tempo up at 5-1, forcing an SIU timeout. With a regrouped SIU game plan, Salukis’ middle hitter, Imani Hartfield, had back-to-back kills, which was the start of their ascended comeback. As the set progressed, they soon had the Grizzlies’ number, and SIU won the game in four sets.
Although SIU came out victorious, history for Oakland’s very own Patti Cesarini was made. Cesarini became the 10th player in Oakland’s history to tally her 1,000th career kill, an incredible milestone to say the least. As the senior leader looks to continue adding on to this number, the Grizzlies will take on Youngstown State on home court Friday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m.
