Marist volleyball closed its non-conference slate with a pair of losses at the Oakland Invitational, falling to Oakland in five sets on Friday before Illinois State swept the Red Foxes Saturday.
The Red Foxes entered California riding a three-match winning streak after sweeping the Bryant Invitational last weekend. The run marked a turnaround for Marist after a difficult 1-6 start to the season, with the Red Foxes finding more consistency across the lineup and improving to 4-6 entering the tournament.
That momentum, however, did not translate into another perfect weekend. Marist opened against Oakland on Friday in a back-and-forth five-set battle, responding twice after falling behind before the Golden Grizzlies closed out the deciding set. Illinois State then swept the Red Foxes on Saturday, ending the weekend 0-2.
The invitational also marked a special weekend for the Reck family, as Mallory Reck faced her sisters: Oakland sophomore outside hitter Molly Reck and Illinois State senior outside hitter Abby Reck. With the tournament taking place just 45 minutes from their hometown, the weekend brought family and friends together to watch the three sisters compete against each other after years of playing side-by-side.
Mallory Reck continued to lead Marist offensively, finishing with 18 kills and 15 digs, while sophomore setter Caelyn Dumas reached a career milestone, recording her 1,000th career assist.
Marist opened the tournament with a 3-2 loss to Oakland. The Red Foxes battled back twice after falling behind, but the Golden Grizzlies consistently answered Marist’s runs and used a strong offensive performance to secure the victory.
Oakland controlled the opening frame early, but Marist stayed within reach before the Golden Grizzlies pulled away late. Freshman outside hitter Liv Hosford and junior middle blocker Lillian Frias provided much of the offensive production for Oakland, while Marist struggled to find consistency at the net. Oakland closed out the first set 25-17.
Marist found its rhythm in the second, building an early lead and maintaining control to even the match. The Golden Grizzlies answered in the third, jumping out to an early advantage and putting pressure on Marist’s offense. Oakland’s attack continued to find openings, while the Red Foxes struggled to generate the same momentum they had found in the previous period. Oakland took the third set 25-12, putting Marist in a must-win situation heading into the fourth.
Marist refused to go quietly, responding with its strongest push of the afternoon. The Red Foxes and Golden Grizzlies traded momentum throughout, but Marist came through late to hold off Oakland 25-23 and force a deciding fifth set.
With the match tied at two apiece, Oakland grabbed an early lead in the deciding frame. Marist continued to fight and pulled within two points late, but the Golden Grizzlies responded with a final push to take the fifth set 15-11 and the match 3-2.
Marist returned to the court Saturday against Illinois State, who entered the tournament after opening the season 7-2 and carrying one of the stronger offensive attacks in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Redbirds controlled the match early, but Marist remained within striking distance during the opening two sets. Illinois State pulled away late in the first set before the Red Foxes kept the second set close into the final points. With the score tied at 20, the Redbirds closed the set on a late run to take control of the match.
Illinois State continued to hold the advantage in the third, completing the sweep and sending Marist home without a win. Freshman outside hitter Jillian Ferrill led the Redbirds offensively with 18 kills, giving Marist another difficult attacking matchup after facing Oakland’s offense the night before.
The Red Foxes will return home for their first Metro match of the season against New Haven on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
Edited by August Lieberman
Graphic by Xavier Angel
Photo via Marist Athletics
For more coverage of Marist athletics, follow @cfmarist on Instagram, X, TikTok and Bluesky, and sign up to receive daily alerts here