Sooners Unable to Put Away Mustangs

SMU

Oklahoma

Set Scores
Team	1	2	3	4	5
No. 24 Oklahoma (4-2)	25	25	24	23	14
SMU (5-1)	16	15	26	25	16

Stat Comparison
Category	SMU	OU
Kills	63	66
Pct.	.200	.273
Digs	72	67
Blocks	11.0	12.0

Inidivual Leaders
Category	OU	OU
Kills	Young - 23	Gardiner - 21
Assists	Acker - 55	Doyle - 53
Digs	Heise - 18	Migliazzo - 18
Blocks	Giordano - 8	Spann - 7

Player of the Match
Kimmy Gardiner // So. // OH Gardiner led the OU attack with a season-high 21 kills, becoming the first Sooner with 20 or more this season.

DALLAS – The No. 24 University of Oklahoma volleyball team let a two-set lead slip away in a 3-2 loss to host SMU at the finale of the Doubletree Invitational, Saturday night. The loss dropped the Sooners to 4-2, while the Mustangs improved to 5-1.

Oklahoma cruised through the first two sets by scores of 25-16 and 25-15 and reached match-point in the third. Sophomore outside hitter Kimmy Gardiner (Grapevine, Texas) registered a kill to make it a 24-22 OU advantage before SMU ran off four straight points, including two kills by Abbey Bybel, to take the set 26-24. The Mustangs won the fourth and fifth by scores of 25-23 and 16-14.

Gardiner led the Sooner attack with a season-high 21 kills on a .405 attack rate. SMU's Carolina Young led all players with 23 kills to go with 10 digs. Bybel added 15 kills and Cailin Bula chipped in with 14.

Four other players ended the match with double-digit kill totals for Oklahoma. Freshman middle blocker Marion Hazelwood (Beach City, Texas) hit a match-high .522 with 13 kills. Junior outside hitter Kierra Holst (Coppell, Texas) recorded 11, while sophomores Micaela Spann (Carrollton, Texas) and Madison Ward (Lawton, Okla.) each had 10.

Ward notched her second double-double of the season in a 15-dig effort. Spann contributed to the defensive effort with seven blocks, while Hazelwood added five.

Junior setter Julia Doyle (Plymouth, Minn.) matched a career-high with 53 assists and added eight digs and four blocks. Mustang setter Avery Acker topped Doyle's effort with a 55-assist night to go with 16 digs.

OU junior libero Taylor Migliazzo (Kansas City, Mo.) and SMU's Morgan Heise tied for the match-lead in digs at 18.

The Sooners are back in action on Wednesday, September 10 for its home opener at McCasland Field House at 7:00 pm. It marks the first of four home matches in four days as Oklahoma hosts its annual NIKE Invitational.

Notes:

SMU gained a 3-2 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the first season of OU volleyball in 1974.
The loss was just the fourth for OU against unranked, non-conference opponents since the start of the 2012 season.
The Sooners have used the same starting lineup in all six matches this season.
Oklahoma has held all six opponents this season to an attack rate under .300.
Doyle first set her career-high in assists against Kansas State at home on October 12, 2013, which is a Sooner four-set record.
Gardiner became the first Sooner with 20 kills or more in a match this season and the first since Sallie McLaurin's 23 at TCU on October 23, 2013.

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Players Mentioned

Julia Doyle

Kimmy Gardiner

Marion Hazelwood

Kierra Holst

Sallie McLaurin

Sallie McLaurin

Taylor Migliazzo

Taylor Migliazzo

Micaela Spann

Madison Ward

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics