Sooners Close Out OU Invitational

Saturday, August 28

Norman

12:00 PM

University of Oklahoma

0-2,0-0Big 12

Lipscomb

1-1,0-0ASUN

Lipscomb

Oklahoma

Photo by: Ty Russell

August 28, 2021 | Volleyball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 OU v. Houston Gamebook Lipscomb v. OU Game Book Photo Gallery

NORMAN - Oklahoma volleyball finished the final day of the OU Invitational 0-2, falling in four sets to Lipscomb and five sets to Houston. The Sooners were led on offense by Megan Wilson, who tallied 38 kills through the final two matches of the tournament.

"This is a young team," head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton said. "They have to be in those moments and understand what they would do differently or, in the moment again, finish it when they have the opportunity. We want wins, but the growth of this team over the three matches this weekend is paramount. I know they don't want to get back in the gym, but I am really excited to get back in the gym and practice on those items. I think if that shows up this weekend, consistently, going into the travel weekend, we have a really great opportunity to bounce back with three wins."

LIPSCOMB 3, OKLAHOMA 1
The Sooners opened the first match of the day against the Bison, falling in four sets. Lipscomb took the match 25-22, 22-25, 27-25, 25-21.

Megan Wilson led the OU attack, finishing with a career-high 19 kills on 40 attempts. Savannah Davison also finished in double figures with 13 kills. Paige Anderson and freshman Kristen Birmigham each chipped in five apiece.

Peyton Dunn had another strong night chipping in 37 assists and just missing out on a double-double with nine digs.

Defensively, Callie Kemohah recorded 13 digs with Aysia Harty adding seven. The Sooners were strong on the block, tallying 13.0 to Lipscomb's 4.0. Anderson had a hand in eight, with three solo blocks. Wilson and Dunn each got in on three blocks with all of Wilson's being solo attempts.

In the first set, Oklahoma reached an 8-5 advantage following an attack error by Lipscomb. The Bison went on a 6-2 run to capture the lead from the Sooners at 11-10. Lipscomb held on to the lead until a kill by Davison tied the first set at 19. A ball handling error by the LU setter pushed the Sooners briefly ahead. Lipscomb finished the set scoring six of the final eight points, capturing the first set, 25-22.

The second set proved to be like the first, before the Sooners were able to capitalize late to claim their lone set victory of the match. After the second set was tied through the first 10 points, Lipscomb starting taking over and were responsible for 10 of the next 15 points.The Sooners continued to climb back into the match and pushed back within three after a kill by Davison. Back-to back kills by Wilson closed out the set for OU.

The third and fourth sets continued the back-and-forth trend of the match. The third set was tied through the first 24 points before Lipscomb held a two-point advantage into the media timeout at 15-13. Later in the third, the match again was tied at 24-all, forcing the first to hold a two-point edge. An attack error by each team again tied the score at 25 before Lipscomb rattled off the final two points.

Holding a two set to one advantage, LU doubled up OU through the first 18 points of the set. The Sooners fought back to get the Bison lead down to two after a block by Tyler Alcorn and Peyton Dunn at 21-19. Lipscomb called timeout to stop the Sooner momentum, scoring four of the final six points to win the match.

HOUSTON 3, OKLAHOMA 2
The Sooners played their second five-set match of the weekend, dropping a highly contested match to Houston. The Cougars took the match 25-22, 25-16, 22-25, 14-25, 15-13.

Davison shined in the match to lead all players with 25 kills to go along with eight digs. Her performance was also a career high for the grad transfer. Wilson had another phenomenal performance with 19 kills.

Dunn notched a career high with a stellar 50-assist performance and a double-double with 14 digs.

Defensively, the Sooners were balanced as Kemohah tallied 23 digs and Sam Anthony added 18. The Sooners tallied 11.0 blocks to Houston's 16.0 with Anderson and Birmingham each tallying four.

Houston took the first two sets, 25-22 and 25-16. The Sooners battled back in the third to take a commanding 10-5 lead on a Kemohah service ace. Houston closed the gap at 15-13, but the Sooners never relented and used a kill from Davison to earn the set, 25-22.

Oklahoma dominated the fourth set, racing out to an 8-1 lead on a Davison kill. The Sooners never led by less than five for the remainder of the match. A Wilson service ace made the match 13-7 and the Sooners used a 12-7 run to close out the set on a Houston error.

The fifth set was tightly contested as the teams battled at the end to determine the winner. Houston jumped out to a 7-3 lead but the Sooners kept it close, using back-to-back kills from Wilson and Birmingham to make it 10-8. A block by Kelsey Carrington made it a one-point game before Houston used a 3-1 run to make it 13-10.

The Sooners pulled even at 13-all, capitalizing on an error by the Cougars. Houston would ultimately take the set after a pair of kills to end the match.

The Sooners will be back in action for the Gonzaga Invitational in Spokane, Wash., Sept 3-5.