MANHATTAN, Kan. ā The Oklahoma volleyball team posted its best conference record since 2019 (5-9) after defeating the Wildcats, 3-1, Wednesday night inside Bramlage Coliseum.
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"Tonight's road win is huge!," said head coach
Lindsey Gray-Walton. "It's another step in the process for this team of relentless competitors that are learning how to finish matches together."
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The Sooners got off to a fast start to win the first two sets, 25-15, 25-23, before the Wildcats fought back to take the third set, 25-23. OU closed out the fourth set, 25-23, to take its fifth Big 12 victory on the season.
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OU hit .295 for the match while holding Kansas State to a .194 hitting percentage. The Sooners were able to beat the Wildcats despite not leading in any of the six major statistical categories and tying in services with Kansas State (7-7).
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The Sooners extend their lead in the overall series with the Wildcats, 59-37-1, while edging them on the road, 21-20. Under Gray-Walton, OU has a 6-4 record against Kansas State.
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Offensively, a trio of Sooners notched double-digit kills, including two freshmen. Newcomer
Morgan Perkins led the way with a career-high 15 kills, while fellow freshman
Alexis Shelton added 14. Sophomore
Megan Wilson posted 13 kills to bring her season total to 338, cracking the top-10 in the record books.
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"The three keys were maintained throughout, along with a huge performance from
Morgan Perkins," noted Gray-Walton. "Credit goes to our passing unit against a tough serving team in Kansas State. We put a lot of pressure on them in our threeĀ hitter rotations and that match up allowed us to pull away in the fourth set."
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Sophomore
Payton Chamberlain added her sixth 40+ assists performance on the season with 46 assists on the night.
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Defensively, sophomore libero
Callie Kemohah added 14 digs to bring her season total to 446. This moved her to ninth in the record books for digs in a single season and surpassing her freshman campaign in 2021 (436).
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Wilson also added 10 digs to complete her third career double-double, which is also her third this season. The Texas native also added a pair of service aces, bringing her season total to 53, which is just one service ace shy of tying the program record in a single season.
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Perkins led the team with four blocks (all block assists) and moved her to 98 block assists on the season, which is the ninth-best program record for that in a single season.
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The Sooners and Wildcats began the battle in Set One, going back-and-forth until Kansas State took a two-point lead, 6-4. OU chipped away at the lead and eventually took over, 9-8, before going on a 3-0 run to force a Kansas State timeout, 12-9. The Sooners forced another Wildcats timeout after a three-point run, 15-10, that included kills from Perkins and Shelton, along with a service ace from Kemohah. Four-straight kills later in the set extended the Sooners' dominance, 22-13. OU would take the first set in dominant fashion, 25-15.
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OU continued the momentum, jumping to a 9-6 lead to begin the second set. The Wildcats clawed their way back to tie the set, 14-14, before the Sooners took a one-point lead, 15-14, after a Kemohah kill. After the media timeout, Kansas State took the lead 16-15, but the Sooners would fight back to take the lead, 20-18, to force a Kansas State timeout. The Sooners would go on a 4-0 run to close the set, 25-23.
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In the third set, the Wildcats got off to a quick 9-2 start, forcing an OU timeout. Kansas State Āwas able to close the lead by four, 12-8, to force a Wildcats timeout. The Wildcats continued their dominance with a six-point lead, 17-11, to force another Sooners' timeout. OU went on a 2-0 at the end to cut its lead to one, 25-24, but the Wildcats won the third set, 25-23.
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In the fourth and final set, OU had a 4-3 to begin the set, but the momentum shifted towards the Wildcats who went on a 5-1 run to take the lead, 9-5. The Sooners were able to knot the score, 11-11, after a 3-0 run that would force a Kansas State timeout. OU took the lead 13-11 after kills from Perkins and Shelton. In a back-and-forth battle, Preston added back-to-back services aces for a 18-16 lead, forcing a Wildcats timeout. Back-to-back kills from Kansas State senior Elena Baka put the Wildcats on top, 20-19, forcing an OU timeout. Another 3-0 run for the Sooners put them back on top, 22-20. Shelton put the match away for the Sooners, 25-23.
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The Sooners conclude the regular season next week at Iowa State 6:30 p.m. CT next Wednesday, Nov. 23, before hosting TCU at 6 p.m. next Saturday, Nov. 26, for their regular season finale and Senior Night.
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"ĀThe competitive spirit of this group continues to increase every time we play," said Gray-Walton. "This is a group that is truly invested in making a strong finish and living with the results when we go for it. We will enjoy this win tonight and look to build on it against a very good Iowa State team."
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