Oakland City, IN - In the first game in the Johnson Center this season, the Oakland City University women's volleyball team opened up River States Conference play against the Grenadiers of Indiana University Southeast. After taking the first two sets, the Oaks struggled to regain their momentum, dropping sets three and four, then rallying to claim the decisive fifth set to move to 3-4 on the season. IUS drops to 2-3 on the year in OCU head coach Allyson Moorman's first game on the sidelines of the Johnson Center.
Set one saw OCU lead by as many as seven points, holding off a late push from the visiting Grenadiers to win 25-22. Control remained with the Oaks in set two as they opened up a 6-0 lead before surrendering a point, eventually pulling ahead by as many as 10 points, a lead they held at 20-10, before taking the set 25-18.
The momentum changed in set three as the Mighty Oaks struggled to maintain their advantage, losing 25-11. In the third set, however, senior setter
Mariana Anastasiadi eclipsed the 1,000 career assist mark, having played two season in the blue and white prior to the 2023 campaign. Set four continued to go IU Southeast's way as the Grenadiers led throughout, winning 25-19.
After IUS scored the first four points of the fifth and final set, then going up 7-1, it looked like the momentum had shifted for good away from the home team. However, OCU cut the lead to 7-5 during senior libero
Dunja Madjarevic's service rotation, only to drop the next two points to trail 9-5. The Oaks kept the pressure up, scoring three straight to get back in the contest, cutting the lead to 9-8, before tying the set at 10-10 off a kill by junior newcomer
Lisa Scapini. Both teams traded points until the score stood at 13-13 when senior defensive specialist
Yianmarie Catala reeled off two solid serves in a row, leading to an Anastasiadi block and a Scapini kill to give the Oaks a 15-13 victory.
It broke a streak of seven straight losses the Oaks have taken against the Grenadiers, dating back to the 2017 season, and is the first time OCU had downed IUS since returning to the River States Conference.
Scapini led all players with 23 kills, while posting a team-best .296 hitting percentage. Madjarevic had a game-best 38 digs, while Anastasiadi led the way with a game-high 50 assists, giving her 1,023 in her career at the end of the match.
Emilee Organ paced the Grenadiers with 12 kills, one more than Haley Jaster and Ella Brooks, while Brooks led the team in digs with 20. Abby Marks had 21 assists, two more than teammate Cate Murphy.
The Mighty Oaks will return to action on Tuesday, September 12, when they host the Pomeroys of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Game time is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
