(GREEN BAY ATHLETICS) – GREEN BAY – The Green Bay volleyball team extended its winning streak to six in a five-set victory against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in their conference opener on Friday at home at the Kress Events Center.
The win improved Green Bay’s record to 8-4 overall and 1-0 in Horizon League play. Six consecutive victories is the most for the Phoenix since the 2022 season, when they won nine straight.
The Phoenix offense was paced by Gillian Koning, who finished with a season-high 20 kills on the day while accumulating a hitting percentage of .275. Diane Pichelman added 18 and Kirsten Fish chipped in with 15 as part of balanced Green Bay attack. Defensively, GB had five players reach double figures in digs, highlighted by Kendall Schara’s 17, 15 from Kennedy Schmitz, and 13 more from Alexa Hernandez. From the front row, Olivia Neumann contributed seven blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
SET 1 | The Phoenix won the first point and never looked back to win the first set 25-21. Green Bay led by 10 points early at 15-5 before finishing off the set.
SET 2 | Green Bay then fell in set two 25-22, evening things at a set each. Oakland grabbed the advantage for good at 16-15 in a set that was tied up five times before the Golden Grizzlies took over in the second half of the stanza.
SET 3 | A third-set loss put Green Bay down 2-1. The Phoenix came up short in a back-and-forth battle, losing 27-25 in a set that featured seven lead changes and was tied 16 times. Neither team had a lead of more than four points along the way.
SET 4 | Green Bay broke their two set losing streak and forced a fifth set with a 25-19 victory in set number four. The Phoenix took control of the set at 2-1 and held the lead the rest of the way. Green Bay ended the frame on a high note by opening up its biggest lead, six points, to finish off the set, totaling 19 kills along the way.
SET 5 | Green Bay rallied from a 2-1 set deficit to win two straight sets, culminating in a 23-21 fifth-set victory to take the 3-2 win. The Phoenix persevered in a back-and-forth final set to emerge victorious in a set that featured eight lead changes and was tied 15 times. Neither team led by more than three points in the set. The Golden Grizzlies held match point at 14-12 before the Phoenix rallied back to tie the game. Eventually, an Oakland attack error sealed the Phoenix victory in a set where 13 of their 23 points came via kills.
GAME NOTES
» Green Bay had three players in double figures in kills.
» The Phoenix had five players in double figures in digs.
» Diane Pichelman had a team-high two aces in the win.
» Green Bay never trailed on the way to winning the first set 25-21.
» Gillian Koning had a match-high 20 kills for Green Bay.
» GB got a team-high 17 digs from Kendall Schara.
» Green Bay attackers were helped by a match-high 54 assists from Alexa Hernandez.
» Green Bay has now won their last six matches against Oakland.
COMING UP
The Phoenix and Golden Grizzlies have a rematch tomorrow afternoon at the Kress, this time with first serve delivery scheduled for 2 p.m. CST.
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