Oakland University Women's Volleyball

Rice enters her fourth season at the helm of Oakland Volleyball, after she was named Oakland University volleyball’s head coach on March 16, 2022 following six seasons with the Chippewas of Central Michigan. Last season, OU posted an 8-22 record, ending the season with a reverse 3-2 sweep of eventual Horizon League Champion Wright State on Senior Day in the OUCU O'rena. Libero Emily Wichmann was tabbed All-Horizon Second Team and ranked fifth in the NCAA after the regular season in total digs (659). Wichmann, along with Tyler Linkhart, Rachel Rossman, and Ainsley Guse were named College Sport Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District after the 2024 season. 2023 saw one of Oakland Volleyball's best seasons in program history. Rice led the Golden Grizzlies to 17 regular season wins -- most since 2017 -- and a .611 win percentage in Horizon League matches. Wichmann was named the 2023 Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year along with All-League First Team honors -- the first Golden Grizzly to earn the postseason award since 2014. Patti Cesarini was named All-League Second Team, Gentry Brown was listed All-Freshman, and Anika Prisby was a finalist for the Horizon League Sportsmanship Award from the season. Cesarini, Wichmann, Rossman and Guse were named CSC Academic All-District for their work on the court and in the classroom. Following her inaugural, 2022 season, Rice produced an All-Horizon League First Team honoree in Patti Cesarini who also took home the team's solo Horizon League All-Academic honor. The squad's 11-19 record included one of the largest upsets in NCAA Division I Volleyball, a 3-2 road victory over Green Bay, and the best team record (2-1) at the Kent State Invitational, Rice's alma mater. Under Rice's direction, four Golden Grizzlies were named CSC Academic-All District in Cesarini, Jessica Riedl, Madison Ross, and AnnaBelle Tomei. Ross eclipsed the 1,000-plus assist mark under Rice's tutelage.  As the Associate Head Coach in Mount Pleasant, Rice primarily worked with recruitment of prospective student-athletes, scouting and analysis of opponents, forming a competitive schedule, and other responsibilities. During an abbreviated 2020 season, which saw the Chippewas play a shortened 22-game conference-only schedule, CMU finished 11-11 tying them for second place in the MAC West Division.   In 2019, the Chippewas won their first MAC West Division championship since 2003, finished 21-9, and advanced to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship for the program’s first postseason appearance since 2011. The 21 victories were the most for the program since 2007. Rice served as an assistant coach at Toledo in 2014-15, and previously was an assistant at Michigan State and at Davenport. At Michigan State, Rice was part of a coaching staff that led the Spartans to back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances and she worked directly with All-American Alexis Mathews. Rice served as the MAC representative on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Assistant Coaches Committee from 2015-18 and  was selected by the NCAA in its Leadership Development Minority Coaches Forum in 2017. She was also named to the ABIS (Advancement Beyond in Sports) Volleyball Head Coach Watchlist in 2025.   She earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise physiology from Kent State in 2009 after being a four-year starter at middle blocker for the Flashes from 2005-08. Rice earned a Master of Science in administration with a concentration in leadership from Central Michigan in May 2020. Rice is a native of Grand Rapids and a 2005 graduate of East Kentwood High School. She and her husband Bruce live in Oakland Township with their twin sons, Lennox and Spencer, and daughter Corinne.  Year-by-Year Results   Season Overall Conference Finish Postseason 2022 11-19 7-11 7th N/A 2023 17-14 11-7 5th N/A 2024 8-22 4-14 8th N/A Totals 33-55 (.388) 22-32 (.407) 0-0 (.000)

Abby Kanakry enters her first season as an assistant coach under Krista Rice in 2025. She a two-time First Team All-Horizon League player and 2023 finalist for the Horizon League Sportsmanship award at Northern Kentucky. Kanakry, who played five years for the Norse (2018-23), comes to Rochester as an assistant after working in the private sector and coaching with SPARC and the Unified Volleyball Club in the metro-Detroit area. The Grosse Pointe, Mich. native was a standout player for Northern Kentucky before playing professionally overseas for Alianza Lima in Peru in early 2024. As a middle blocker/opposite hitter, Kankary played in 134 matches for NKU, tallying up 1,324 kills, which marks her 13th in program history. She also holds the school record in block assists (345), as she earned 399 kills operating off of a .272 hitting clip during her final season. She was a four-time Horizon League All-Tournament team member and led the Norse with 10 kills in their most recent NCAA Tournament match in 2019 against Michigan at the Lexington Regional. Prior to Northern Kentucky, Kanakry played varsity volleyball at Grosse Pointe North, amassing a .350 hitting clip throughout her four seasons, while posting a .479 hitting percentage and 302 kills her senior year.

Former Horizon League First Team, Offensive, and Player of the Year, Darien Bandel is back in the Black and Gold and was named an assistant coach in April 2026 by head coach Krista Rice. "I'm thrilled to welcome Darien back to Oakland as part of our coaching staff. As an alum of our program, she understands what it means to represent Oakland Volleyball and brings a genuine passion for our culture and student-athletes," said Rice. "Her experience coaching at a high level in the state of Michigan, along with her familiarity with the Horizon League, makes her a great fit. We're excited for the impact she'll have on our team both on and off the court."" Bandel heads back to Rochester after playing as an outside hitter for the Golden Grizzlies from 2014-17.  The Ortonville, Mich. native became the first Oakland player in the Division I era to be named conference player of the year in 2017. In her senior season, she set the program record in single-season kills/set (4.31) and brought in 491 total kills, which is the second-most in a single season in Oakland history. Bandel finished the 2017 season ranking 22nd in the NCAA in kills per set (4.31), 27th in total kills (491), 46th in attacks per set (11.22), 47th in total attacks (1,279), 31st in points (545), and 24th in points per set (4.78). "Coming back to Oakland as an alum and now joining the volleyball program as an assistant coach means a lot to me. This place played such an important role in my development, and I'm incredibly excited for the opportunity to give back to a program and university that means so much to me," said Bandel. "I'm grateful to Krista and Abby, and I can't wait to get to work and help continue building something special here." Bandel brings 18 years of combined high school and club coaching experience, with a strong history of postseason success. At the high school level, Bandel coached at Birmingham Groves (2018–19), helped lead Notre Dame Prep to a State Semifinal appearance in 2020, guided Northville to a State Quarterfinal finish in 2021, and continued that success at Saline from 2022–25, including another State Semis run. At the club level, Bandel coached with Legacy Volleyball Club from 2016–21 before joining L2 Volleyball Club in 2022, where she continues to develop athletes and compete at a high level. A three-time Horizon League Academic Honor Roll member and Horizon League All-Academic in 2017, Bandel graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work from Oakland in 2018 before obtaining a Master's Degree in Social Work from Wayne State in 2019.