GREEN BAY, Wis. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) --- The Green Bay volleyball team (8-8, 3-1 HL) is playing its first home game of the season this Friday, October 5, facing the Oakland Grizzlies at 6:00 p.m. The team will then travel to Ohio to take on the Wright State Raiders on Sunday at 1:00 p.m., the last road game before two straights weekends of matches at the Kress Events Center. To review 2018 match notes for the upcoming games, click HERE.
 
"We are eager to have our fans come and support these young ladies at home this Friday," said head coach Abbey Sutherland. "The energy of our crowd makes a huge difference in having a home court advantage. Our administration has put in a lot of work to enhance the experience for Phoenix fans. Specifically, the brand new video board will take the fan experience to a whole new level! I'm excited to coach in this atmosphere for the first time and see our young women feed off of the crowd."

Schedule
Friday, October 5
vs. Oakland @ 6:00 p.m. CT
Sunday, October 7
at Wright State @ 1:00 p.m. CT
 
Media
The Green Bay vs. Oakland game can be watched on ESPN for Phoenix fans that are unable to make it to the Kress Events Center, while the Green Bay vs. Wright State game will be accessible on ESPN3. Live stats and tweets will also be available for fans to follow along with during each match.

Oakland | Watch | Stats | Twitter
Wright State | Watch | Stats | Twitter

The live stats and video links can also be found on the Green Bay Phoenix volleyball schedule page. In addition, to view live tweets, follow @gbphoenixvb.

Opponent Outlook
"Horizon League play continues to be tough day in and day out," Sutherland said. "As we prepare, our goal is to be engaged and focused for every single rep. We will stay hungry to continue to improve. Oakland and Wright State will prove to be tough, and we will have a game plan to slow down their talented hitters. Ultimately, though, we will continue to focus on how we play our best volleyball, and that's when we are focused on solid team chemistry, trust, and discipline on defense."

Oakland currently owns a 1-3 Horizon League record, standing at 8^th in the conference after only besting Youngstown State. Cleveland State swept the Grizzlies in straight sets, while both IUPUI and Northern Kentucky won in four sets. Their overall record is 5-10.

The Grizzlies are all over the board in terms of overall season team stats, with their highest ranking coming in blocks: they rank third with an average of 2.17 per set. Their biggest weaknesses are digs and kills, sitting at last and second-to-last in the league, respectively.

Oakland's attack is led by one-time Horizon League Offensive Player of the Week middle hitter Jamie Walling. The sophomore has put up kills in the double-digits during every conference game thus far, also averaging a .258 hitting percentage throughout the entire season to rank her fifth in the league. She grabs the Grizzlies 3.33 points per set.

Like Oakland, Wright State has a 1-3 conference record so far this season, only beating UIC in four sets, but falling to Milwaukee, Youngstown State, and Cleveland State in four sets. Their overall record is 9-7, which gives them a number six standing in the league.

In overall season team stats, the Raiders are all over the map, with higher rankings in blocks (2.07 per set) and service aces (1.58 per set), but sitting in dead-last positions in assists and kills with 10.84 per set and 11.74 per set, respectively.

This group is young, with mostly underclassmen pulling their team's weight. Middle blocker Teddie Sauer, who averages 3.39 points per set between her blocks and kills, is only a sophomore. She has been picking her game up in place of fellow sophomore Abby Barcus, who is seated seventh for kills per set but has been absent from matches since early September. Likewise, their top setter, Lainey Stephenson, is only a freshman.
 
Last Weekend Recap
The Phoenix picked up two wins on the road last weekend, taking down Milwaukee in four sets and UIC in five sets. These helped extend Green Bay's win streak to three in a row as well as provide them a third-place Horizon League standing.

"Last weekend's experiences strengthened our team chemistry, and our team saw the benefits from working to stick together through thick and thin," added Sutherland. "Though we lost the set, we had a tremendous comeback in set three against Milwaukee, and responded by finishing strong as a team in set four. Against UIC, our ladies showed unity; even though the win wasn't pretty, they supported and trusted each other to believe and finish the match."


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