Volleyball Set for Kansas Road Trip

Oklahoma

Kansas

Friday, Oct. 29 / 6:30 p.m. CT / Big 12 Now on ESPN+ / Saturday, Oct. 30 / 4 p.m. CT / Big 12 Now on ESPN+ / Lawrence, Kan.

NORMAN — After a week off, the Oklahoma volleyball team is back in action with a pair of matches in Lawrence, Kan. The Sooners will face the Kansas Jayhawks Oct. 29-30 inside Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena.

OU and Kansas will play at 6:30 p.m. CT on Friday, followed by a 4 p.m. match on Saturday. Both matches will air on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

WEEKEND STORYLINES

LAST TIME OUT
The Sooners last took to the court two weeks ago when they hosted Texas Tech in Norman. The teams split the two matches with OU taking game one in a five-set thriller before falling in game two, 3-0.

In game one, the Sooners tallied 15 blocks on the night, 10 of which were solo blocks to set a new program record for solo blocks in a five-set match. Peyton Dunn set a career high with 54 assists and added 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the year. Savannah Davison also tallied a career-high with 27 kills and Callie Kemohah notched a career-high 35 digs.

The Sooners struggled to get anything going offensively in game two of the weekend as they were swept for the first time this season.

WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY
The Sooners defense has been solid in 2021 with some impressive outings. Against TCU, the Sooners recorded a season-best 22.0 blocks. Against Texas Tech, OU notched 10 solo blocks to set a new program record for blocks in a five-set match. OU has recorded double-digit blocks in all but seven matches this season. Within the Big 12, the Sooners rank first with 210 total blocks and second with 2.69 blocks/set. In conference matches only, OU is first with 95.0 and 2.79/set.

YOUNG AND HUNGRY
The underclassmen on the 2021 team have been called on to make an immediate impact and have done just that. The only two Sooners to play in every single set this year are freshmen Peyton Dunn and Callie Kemohah. Dunn grabbed the starting setter job and has been a do-it-all athlete as she ranks second on the team in blocks (52.0) and third in digs (153). Kemohah has filled the shoes left by two-time conference libero of the year Keyton Kinley and leads the team with 336 digs and could break into the record books for digs in a season.

Megan Wilson has been an offensive spark for the Sooners, leading the team with 285 kills and a 3.70 kills/set mark. Kristen Birmingham has appeared in 45 sets for the Sooners and made impact plays. The freshman's 34.0 blocks rank fourth on the team with sophomore Kelsey Carrington ranking sixth with 31. Sophomore Sam Anthony has seen significant time as a defensive specialist and ranks second on the team with 73 digs in 77 sets played. Tyler Alcorn has appeared in 45 sets with 10 starts and posted 51.0 total blocks to go with 38 kills.

MAKE A MARK
The 2021 team has already made a mark in the record books. Callie Kemohah's 29 digs in a four-set match against Mississippi State (Sept. 10) are tied for the most in program history. Kemohah is the third Sooner to achieve the mark. Paige Anderson's 18 solo blocks have her tied for sixth all-time for solo blocks in a single season. Megan Wilson's 16 solo blocks rank ninth all-time in program history for a single season mark. As a team, the Sooners tied the program record for solo blocks in a four-set match with 7.0 against Lipscomb (Aug. 28). The Sooners set a new program record for solo blocks in a five-set match with 10.0 against Texas Tech (Oct. 14).

ANDERSON'S GOT AMMO
Senior Paige Anderson has been impressive in Big 12 Play, tallying a career high of 18 kills against West Virginia (Sept. 25) and notching a hitting percentage of at least .350 in seven of her last eight matches. The senior has now tallied double-digit kills in 10 matches this season and had 10-plus in seven of the last nine. Anderson also leads the defense with 98.0 blocks on the year and 18.0 solo blocks. Her nine blocks against TCU are tied for the most by a Sooner this season. In conference play, Anderson is hitting .379 with 93 kills and has tallied 44.0 blocks.

DUNN DOES IT ALL
Freshman setter Peyton Dunn has made an immediate impact to the OU offense in her first season with the Sooners. The Parker, Colo., native has notched at least 30 assists in all but one match this season and has tallied 40-plus in nine matches with a career-best of 54 against Texas Tech (Oct. 14). The freshman has also recorded a double-double on seven occasions. Dunn has done it all this season tallying 757 assists (9.71/set), 62 kills, 153 digs and 52.0 blocks.

BATTLING IN THE BIG 12
Multiple Sooners hold top-10 rankings in the current conference standings. Megan Wilson ranks third in the league with 3.70 kills/set and third with 285 total kills. Peyton Dunn ranks fifth with 9.71 assists/set and second with 757 total assists. Paige Anderson is third with 1.27 blocks/set and first in total blocks with 98. Callie Kemohah sits in third with 4.31 digs/set and second with 336 total digs.

In conference games only, Anderson ranks fifth in the league with a .379 hitting percentage and fourth with 1.29 blocks per set. Wilson ranks ninth in league play with 3.00 kills/set. Dunn's 9.50 assists/set ranks sixth and her 323 total assists puts her in third. Kemohah ranks second in the league with 4.65 digs/set and first with 158 total.

SCOUTING KANSAS
The Jayhawks are coming off a bye week and currently sit at 11-8 overall and 3-5 in Big 12 play. Kansas started Big 12 play strong with three-straight wins, including two-five set victories over Texas Tech. The Jayhawks have lost their last five, with four of the five losses coming to No. 1 Texas and No. 11 Baylor. Kansas boasts Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year Caroline Bien who ranks second on the team with 196 kills and 171 digs. Elise McGhie paces the offense with 465 assists while Kennedy Farris boasts a team-best 180 digs.

UP NEXT

The Sooners will return to McCasland Field House Nov. 5-6 to host Iowa State. Tickets can be purchased at SoonerSports.com or by calling the ticket office at (405) 325-2424.

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

WEEKEND STORYLINES

UP NEXT

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tyler Alcorn

Paige Anderson

Sam Anthony

Kristen Birmingham

Kelsey Carrington

Savannah Davison

Peyton Dunn

Callie Kemohah

Keyton Kinley

Megan Wilson

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics