This past Friday, the women’s volleyball team faced a tough loss against the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. 

Set One

The first set had some intense exchanges to start. The Golden Grizzlies initially took the lead, thanks to an early kill from Libby Smith, who was assisted by Emily Wichmann from the back row. 

This play was then followed by a service ace from Rachel Rossman. However, Purdue Fort Wayne eventually got in the groove, with its offense coming from Jena Medearis. As the set progressed, the score fluctuated. Despite costly errors — including service errors and attack mistakes, huge blocks from Tyler Linkhart and Ainsley Guse secured the set for the Golden Grizzlies, finishing at 28-26. 

Set Two

The Golden Grizzlies, fresh off a victory in the first set, faced a challenging second set that ultimately slipped away. Oakland opened up strong, with both Gentry Brown and Guse impactful. Rossman consistently set them up perfectly, allowing them to establish an early lead. 

The Golden Grizzlies got ahead by as much as 15-10. The Mastodons started to get competitive, led by Panna Ratkai and Riley Rosneck. The set saw multiple ties, but ultimately, a final kill by Rosneck edged out the Golden Grizzlies, giving Purdue Fort Wayne a 25-23 win. 

Set Three

In a hard-fought third set, the Mastodons maintained their momentum, starting with the first point from Nicole Jones. Purdue Fort Wayne’s balanced attack and defensive efforts kept them ahead. Oakland made a late push, with Oakland’s Sydney Green contributing. Purdue Fort Wayne held their composure and never let up and took set three, 25-22.

Set Four 

The Golden Grizzlies were cold to start. Attack errors gave Purdue Fort Wayne the early 3-0 lead. 

Linkhart eventually cleaned things up, and the rest of the Golden Grizzlies followed suit, keeping the score tight. Purdue Fort Wayne responded and started to find holes in Oakland’s defense, scoring five straight points to lead 15-7. 

The Golden Grizzlies looked to regroup, and a kill by Guse from Rossman again gave Oakland a brief two-point edge, 20-18. The rallying continued as the teams reached a nail-biting 24-24 tie. Linkhart delivered a powerful kill, pushing the Golden Grizzlies to a score of 25-24. The strong front row for Oakland, featuring Christina Bohm and Green, both came up with a huge block, and the Golden Grizzlies took set four with a score of 26-24. 

Set Five 

The final set began with a flurry of action as the Mastodons got on the board first. Both teams traded leads as errors started to creep in, making the remainder of the set unpredictable. 

The Mastodons had the lead at 26-25 as the Golden Grizzlies dug deep, but a successful match-point block gave Purdue the five-set win, 27-25.

Linkhart had 18 kills, one ace, and contributed two blocks. Brown also had 18 kills and three blocks. Guse supported the team with 13 kills, one ace, and an impressive four blocks. Green added 11 kills and three blocks, as Wichmann and Rossman each tallied 21 digs. 

What’s Next?

The Golden Grizzlies will look to bounce back as they head to Wisconsin to face the Green Bay Phoenix on Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. and on Oct. 19 at 3 p.m.