Crimson and Cream Clash Saturday

Saturday, August 24

Norman

2:00 p.m.

University of Oklahoma

Crimson vs. Cream Scrimmage

Photo by: Shevaun Williams & Associates

August 23, 2019 | Volleyball

Tickets Clear Bag Policy 2019 Volleyball Preview

NORMAN – The Oklahoma volleyball team is set to preview the 2019 season with the Crimson vs. Cream scrimmage on Saturday at 2 p.m. CT inside McCasland Field House.
OU's 11 returning student-athletes include seniors Brianna Kadiku and Haley Sanchez; juniors Paige Anderson, Kylee McLaughlin, Hali'a Hogan, Keyton Kinley, Sarah Maras, Sarah Sanders, Kira Morikawa; and sophomore Aysia Harty and Sabrina Simms.

Joining the Sooners in 2019 are graduate transfer Ashlynn Dunbar; junior transfer Paige Johnson; and freshmen Abby Butler, Olivia Curtis, Sanaá Dotson and Rylie Gregston.

Defensive Specialists

OU's back row includes four returners in libero Kinley and defensive specialists Harty, Morikawa and Sanchez.

Big 12 Libero of the Year Kinley appeared in every match of the 2018 season, racking up 541 digs in her first year in Crimson and Cream to become just the second Sooner in the 25-point rally scoring era (2008-present) to reach 500 digs in a single season. The Lexington, Ky., native earned three Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week awards to set an OU record for the most defensive weekly honors in a career, and led the league in digs and digs per set (5.01). Kinley was a first-team All-Big 12 selection, AVCA All-Southwest Region First Team honoree as well as OU's first-ever defensive specialist to earn AVCA All-America honors.

Harty played every set of the 2018 season with three starts. Harty registered a career-high 12 digs against Texas A&M and tallied double-digit digs in three more matches, racking up 176 digs on the year.
Morikawa played in 54 sets over 19 matches with one start. The Honolulu native registered a season-high seven digs in back-to-back matches against North Carolina and Georgia.

Sanchez saw time in 10 matches, including nine against Big 12 opponents, and played in 30 total matches. From behind the service line, Sanchez registered seven service aces, averaging 0.23 aces per set.

Johnson comes to Norman after two years at Arkansas. Johnson played in 196 sets with six starts at Arkansas, and in 2018 recorded a .961 service percentage with 13 aces on the year.

Setters

The 2019 roster includes two setters in returner McLaughlin and newcomer Gregston.

McLaughlin had a breakout 2018 season that culminated in Big 12 Setter of the Year honors. The first-team All-Big 12 honoree led the league with 1162 assists and 678 assists in conference play. McLaughlin Averaged 10.76 assists per set, fourth-most in the Big 12, and 10.94 assists per set in conference matches, second-most in the Big 12. McLaughlin finished with 14 double-doubles while adding 60 kills on the year. Additionally, the Carrolton, Texas, native recorded four performances of at least 50 assists.

McLaughlin is joined at the setter position by freshman Gregston. A three-year varsity letterwinner at Blue Springs South in Lee's Summit, Mo., Gregston earned all-conference, all-district and all-area selections in each of those seasons. Gregston finished her high school career with 1,531 assists, including 777 during her senior season, and led her team to three conference championships and a pair of district championships.

Middle Blockers

OU returns three middle blockers in Anderson, Hogan and Kadiku, and adds freshman Butler.

Second-team All-Big 12 selection Anderson played in 107 sets, starting all 28 matches at middle blocker. In 2018, she led the Sooner defense with 1.29 blocks per set, the fourth-best mark in OU history during the 25-point rally scoring era. A force on both sides of the ball, Anderson led the Sooners with a .276 hitting percentage and ranked third among Sooners with 2.05 kills per set. The McKinney, Texas, product set the program record with 11 blocks in a four-set match against Pittsburgh and set a career high with 16 kills in just three sets against Kansas State.

Kadiku played in 107 sets, starting all 28 of OU's matches at middle blocker. Kadiku ranked second on the team with 119 total blocks and 1.11 blocks/set, and had five performances with double-digit kills overall.

Hogan appeared in two matches, both against conference opponents, with three total sets played. She made her Sooner debut against West Virginia and played in a pair of sets against Baylor.

Newcomer Butler led Flower Mound High School to its first state championship, totaling 13 kills on a .462 clip in the title game. The 6-5 middle blocker hit .394 with 245 kills and 171 blocks during her senior campaign and was named District 6-6A Blocker of the Year and First-Team All-District. Butler also led her club team to back-to-back USAV National Championships in 2018 and 2019.

Outside Hitters

The 2019 roster includes great depth at the outside hitter position with returners Maras, Sanders and Simms, as well as graduate transfer Dunbar and freshmen Curtis and Dotson.

Maras played in 22 matches with 15 starts, totaling 61 sets. She ranked fifth on the team with 1.70 kills per set and totaled 13 service aces for a 0.21 aces/set average. Maras tallied a career high with 11 kills at Northern Illinois and reached a career-high 13 digs against Kansas while adding 10 kills for her first career double-double.

Sanders appeared in all 108 of OU's sets with 25 starts in 28 matches. Sanders was second on the team with 2.13 kills per set and a .253 hitting percentage. She set a career high with 12 kills against Seton Hall before breaking it the next match with 13 against North Carolina, and matched her career-best twice more during the season. Sanders finished the year with eight double-digit kills performances.

Simms saw time in two matches in 2018, making her Sooner debut against Northwestern State and assisting on one block.

Grad transfer Dunbar brings three years of experience at outside hitter from San Diego State. Dunbar saw action in 310 sets over 91 matches while averaging 2.38 kills and 1.72 digs per set. The Seabrook, Texas, native collected 738 kills, 532 digs and 154 blocks in her three years with the Aztecs. Dunbar tallied 886 points while averaging 2.86 per set.

Freshmen Curtis and Dotson are prepped to make an early impact for the Sooners. Two-time Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year Curtis set the Christian Heritage Academy school records for career kills (2,012) and career digs (1,735) while leading her team to two state championships and a runner-up finish.

Houston native Dotson was a four-year varsity letterwinner at Memorial High School and an AVCA Third-Team High School All-American. Dotson was a two-time all-state and All-Greater Houston honoree as she led her team to a pair of first-place district finishes. In club ball, Dotson helped her team to a runner-up finish at the 2019 USAV National Championship and numerous other tournament titles.

Match Info

Admission to the event will be free for all fans, and the Sooners will sign autographs following the match.

Season and single-match tickets are now on sale for the upcoming 2019 season. Fans can order online through SoonerSports.com or over the phone at (405) 325-2424 or toll-free at 800-456-GoOU.

OU Athletics has introduced a clear bag policy and walk-through metal detectors at all home events this season. More information on the policy and procedures can be found here.

For updates, follow @OU_Volleyball on Twitter or like Oklahoma Volleyball on Facebook.