Dancing Into a New Era

When 32-year-old Lindsey Gray-Walton was named Oklahoma's new volleyball coach on Christmas Eve in 2017, waiting for her under the tree was a team fresh off a demoralizing 7-22 season.

Gray-Walton had spent the previous eight seasons as an assistant at Kentucky, where she was widely recognized as one of the nation's premier motivators, teachers and recruiters, all of which would be beneficial given the Sooners' circumstances at that time.

Her first task as OU coach?

"You walk in the door and you want to hear the players' stories. 'Who are you?' 'What brought you to OU?' 'What are your goals, and not just in volleyball?' " Gray-Walton explained. "Were they hurt and broken (from the 2017 season)? Maybe a little. But it takes an open-door policy of telling them, 'We are here for whatever you need.' Changing those little things helps change the culture really quickly."

That change was immediate as Gray-Walton directed the biggest first-year turnaround in the program's history, finishing 17-11 overall and barely missing an NCAA Tournament berth.

This year, the Sooners didn't miss.

Making its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014, OU (19-8 overall; 11-5 in Big 12) will face Rice (26-3) at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday at Reed Arena in College Station, Texas. The winner advances to a 6:30 p.m. second-round match Friday with the winner of No. 13-seeded Texas A&M (21-7) against St. John's (22-11).

The Sooners' roster is a cross-mix of original signees and transfers, and their combined success is evident in this year's All-Big 12 accolades.

Outside hitter Ashlynn Dunbar (graduate transfer from San Diego State), junior defensive specialist Keyton Kinley (transfer from Tennessee), junior setter Kylee McLaughlin (transfer from Oregon State) and junior outside hitter Sarah Sanders were first-team selections, while junior middle blocker Paige Anderson was tabbed for the second team.

"The transfer portal can be good and bad for a lot of people," Gray-Walton explained. "We have definitely benefited because people have been looking for a new start and we've provided that opportunity. They have been selective about where they wanted to go, and we have been selective about who we've allowed in. All those pieces looking for a fresh start were able to find that here, but we also held them accountable. We told them, 'Hey, we have expectations for you. It's not just a roster spot. It's a value you bring to being part of this.' It's allowed us to have success quickly, but what we had on that roster when we arrived (after the 2017 season) were great pieces to get things started. Some of the people getting personal accolades are transfers, but others have been here. And it's cool to see that (with Sanders and Anderson)."

For the second straight year, Kinley won the Big 12 Conference Libero of the Year award as the top overall defender, leading the conference with 495 digs (4.95 per set).

"My teammates made it really easy for me to do what I do, but there's also a standard I have for myself and that the coaching staff has for me," Kinley said.

The Sooners finished the regular season in the top five among Big 12 teams in five defensive categories: digs (1,739), digs per set (16.10), total blocks (264), blocks per set (2.45) and opponent hitting percentage (.176).

"Keyton does a phenomenal job just playing her game and leading everyone from the back row," Dunbar said. "We have the best defense in the Big 12 because of her."

Kinley said the coaching staff was most influential in her choosing to join the Sooners after one season at Tennessee.

"I believe in everything that they're doing," Kinley said. "They're the main reason I'm here and everything's been great ever since. It was a little different than what I'm used to when I first got here, just the level of competitiveness in the gym, the willingness to work hard and get after it was a little bit of a culture shock to me. Ever since Lindsey and her staff got here, they've instilled that."

Dunbar thought her playing days were over, but she also was drawn to the OU coaches. "The coaching staff had everything I was looking for," Dunbar said. "It's like a family here. I felt very welcomed. They made me feel inspired and made me want to keep playing volleyball, so it was easy to make the decision to come.

"What I like most is they allow us to be ourselves. We can play volleyball, we can have fun, we can play our way, come out with our personalities and do what we need to do. That's something not a lot of people have. It's hard to play volleyball whenever you're not having fun, you're not happy, you're not yourselves, when you feel like you have to shy away from what you're used to. She just allows us all the freedom to express who we are in our game. That's what helps us be so successful as a unit."

Gray-Walton echoed Dunbar and said, "You never want them to have to try and fit inside of a box. That's the beauty of our program."

Dunbar said she also was swayed by the endorsements of past Sooner standouts Suzy Boulavsky, Brianne Barker-Groth and others who crossed paths with Dunbar while she played club ball in Texas. "The lineage of great OU players has definitely helped us in recruiting," Gray-Walton acknowledged.

Dunbar arrived in Norman just two days before practice. She has double-digit kills in 20 of the Sooners' 27 matches and leads the team in kills with 360, which is 104 ahead of the next closest player, Sanders (256).

"Her time with the team has been very short, but impactful," Gray-Walton said of Dunbar. "She walks into practice with a smile every day. She is not just punching the time clock here. She's invested in the people and the process. When you get that second chance and it creates that passion and fire inside again to play the game, we're seeing Ashlynn play her best volleyball at the best time of the year. That's pretty special."

OU's four first-team All-Big 12 selections and five overall picks are both program records, but were other Sooners possibly short-changed?

Kinley said she believes senior middle blocker Brianna Kadiku (transfer from Memphis), who led the conference in blocks with 134, also was worthy of All-Big 12 honors. "We all know what she brings to the team, so going into the tournament we can use that as extra motivation," Kinley said.

"Awards are hard because you want everyone to make it and not everyone can," Gray-Walton said. "That's awesome, though. Now with good players, you ought to be able to go do something. They know they're not done yet."

This is the 12^th NCAA appearance for OU. The Sooners (with a 10-11 all-time tournament record) have advanced to the Sweet 16 on three occasions (1988, 2006, 2010), but have yet to win a third-round game.

"The beauty is we've had four months to hone our craft and develop our identity as a team," Gray-Walton said. "When that first serve goes up (Thursday), we know who we are and what we've been through to get to this moment. But when that serve goes up, you've also just got to play free and not think. Play like you want to keep playing volleyball. They're in good spirits, to say the least. It doesn't take much to get them excited to play more volleyball right now.

"It's not a rags-to-riches story because we haven't won anything yet, but it's been a pretty cool experience."

Players Mentioned

Paige Anderson

Ashlynn Dunbar

Brianna Kadiku

Keyton Kinley

Kylee McLaughlin

Sarah Sanders

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics