Women’s basketball

The 2009-10 season officially began Sunday with an exhibition game against Ferris State in which OU defeated the Bulldogs 60-50 at the O’Rena. Ten different players saw action for the Golden Grizzlies, with senior forward Hanna Reising leading the way with 14 points. Sophomore guard Sharise Calhoun also contributed 13 points in the victory.

At the half, Oakland held a 25 point lead before giving up a little ground to Ferris State in the second frame with mostly reserves on the court.

OU will play one more exhibition game Monday, Nov. 9 against Western Ontario to gear up for the regular season.

Volleyball

Season record: 16-7 (9-5 in conference)

Despite a pair of losses over the weekend to IPFW and Valparaiso, OU’s volleyball team remains in a position to qualify for the league tournament for the first time. The team now sits at 16-7 overall, with a 9-5 conference record. The highlight of the week came Saturday when freshman Meghan Bray tied a long-standing school record with 30 kills in a single match.

The Grizzlies have been shorthanded lately with an injury keeping senior captain Adrienne Leone on the sidelines. Her return to the lineup is uncertain.

Oakland will return to action when the team travels to Western Illinois Nov. 6. A split of their final four regular season matches this season would likely ensure the Grizzlies a spot in the tournament.

Men’s soccer

Season Record: 9-4-2 (5-0-0 in conference)

The Oakland University men’s soccer team clinched the regular season Summit League title with a 2-1 overtime win over UMKC Saturday. The Grizzlies were kept off the scoreboard until the 84th minute of the game when freshman Shane Lyons scored his third goal of the season to knot the game at one apiece. Roughly five minutes into the overtime period, OU completed their comeback when sophomore Jeff Cheslik scored his first career goal on a pass from Makesi Lewis.

For the third consecutive season, and the fourth time in five years, Oakland will enter the Summit League Tournament as the number one seed. Following the regular season finale at Western Illinois Saturday, Nov. 7, the Golden Grizzlies will return home to play host to the conference tournament Nov. 13 and 15 where they appear to be heavy favorites to win.

Women’s soccer

Final season record: 4-4-1

Losses on Friday and Sunday proved detrimental to the team’s hope of qualifying for the Summit League Tournament. For the first time in 11 seasons, Oakland will be watching from home while the conference champion is crowned.

OU lost 3-1 to IUPUI Friday, but still had a chance to make the tournament with a win on Sunday. But Western Illinois broke a 1-1 tie late in the game and the Grizzlies lost to end their season.

Cross Country

The Summit League Cross Country Championship was held Saturday in Cedar City, Utah, with Oakland placing third on the men’s side and fourth in the women’s standings. Senior Zack Jones finished fifth in the 8K run and was named to the All-Summit League First Team for his efforts. Sara Lieblein clocked in ninth in the women’s 6K event and was selected to the league’s Second Team.

The cross country season does not end here, however, as the Golden Grizzlies will next participate in the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Championship Nov. 14.