Sooners Enter Final Week of Regular Season Play

NORMAN – The Oklahoma volleyball team closes out the regular season for the Thanksgiving holiday. The Sooners head to Ames, Iowa for a mid-week match against Iowa State at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, before hosting the regular season finale and Senior Night inside the McCasland Field House against TCU at 6 p.m. Saturday.

"Each of our seniors had a different path to Oklahoma, but it all started with trust," head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton said. "They trusted the people and the process which has allowed us to have unbelievable experiences as a group while pushing this program forward into future success. Each has been a transformational leader in areas of our program. Grace (Talpash), Adria (Oliver), and Savannah (Davison) are each resilient individuals that have had to find ways to fight through hard moments and lean into the support of a place like Oklahoma.

"Each trusted their transfer process and felt Oklahoma was a place where they could finish and find a love for the game again. More than just the points played, they flourished in their roles off the court for this team and program. Our program is better today because these three have chosen to wear the Crimson and Cream, and this weekend we will celebrate them for just that!"

OU has a slim lead over the Cyclones in the overall series, 46-42, while 18-22 on the road. On Oct. 15, Iowa State continued its winning streak with its fourth-straight win against OU inside McCasland, 3-1. The Sooners' last win in the series was Oct. 19, 2019, while their last road win is Oct. 3, 2018. OU is looking for its first sweep against the Cyclones since Sept. 25, 2010, which was in Ames.

The Sooners lead the overall series with the Horned Frogs 17-10, including 8-5 at home. The last time out, OU fell in four to TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, on Oct. 21. OU is 5-5 against TCU in the Gray-Walton era.

Wednesday's match at Iowa State will air at 6:30 p.m. on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with live stats available through Iowa State's StatBroadcast page. Saturday's match can be viewed on SoonerVision on ESPN+ at 6 p.m. with live stats available through OU's StatBroadcast page. For more information on how to watch Saturday's match, click here.

For fans in attendance, doors at McCasland Field House open an hour before each match. Parking is available in the Field House lot on the east side of McCasland Field House or the Duck Pond lot on the corner of West Brooks Street and South Jenkins Avenue.

OU Athletics' clear bag policy will be in effect and walk-through metal detectors will be utilized. More information can be found here.

"The sum of the parts is a pillar of our program," Gray-Walton noted. "I as a head coach couldn't have gotten luckier when it came to a student-grad manager, in Caraleigh Freund. The passion she has for OU and the loyalty she shows in her process are reasons our program has taken major strides in the last five years.

"BEST is Caraleigh's Standard … and we are all trying to keep up. Truly committed to learning and a love for college athletics, Caraleigh has enhanced OU Athletics and the experiences our student athletes, recruits and their families get to have while being here. The trust, loyalty and excitement she has shown towards this program will be forever felt. She is family and we are so thankful for Caraleigh!"

BIG 12 STORYLINES

SENIOR SALUTE

Saturday's match will also be Senior Night for players, Adria Oliver, Savannah Davison and Grace Talpash, who are all being honored in a post-match ceremony.
Oliver has appeared in 22 matches and 79 sets in her only season for the Sooners. She has tallied 95 kills, 73 blocks and 18 digs in her OU career. Overall, Oliver has boasted 722 kills, 282 blocks and 95 digs. Defensively this season, Oliver has matched career-highs in blocks (seven) and block assists (six) at West Virginia (Nov. 5), along with solo blocks (two) at Texas Tech (Oct. 12). Prior to Oklahoma, Oliver spent three seasons at Cincinnati and her freshman year at Clemson.
A Canadian, Davison has appeared in 41 matches 145 sets over her two years as a Sooner. In her time at OU, she has tallied 427 kills, 182 digs, 53 blocks and has accounted for 470 points. Overall, she has boasted 1,384 kills, 885 digs, 195 blocks and added 1,550 points. For her final season, Davison posted a double-double against Kansas State on Oct. 19 after earning season-highs in both kills (17) and digs (10). Davison ended the 2021 season eighth in the Big 12 in kills per set (3.37) and 10th in points per set (3.61). Last season, she logged a 31-point performance against Texas Tech on Oct. 14, the most kills and points by a Big 12 player in a five-set match in 2021. Prior to OU, Davison spent four years at New Mexico State.
Talpash, a California native, has appeared in 59 matches and 167 sets over her three years as a Sooner. In her time at OU, she has tallied 290 assists, 130 digs and 19 service aces. In 2021, she recorded a career-high 12 digs in her start against SMU on Sept. 16. During her sophomore campaign, she recorded 285 assists, including a career-high 48 against Kansas on Oct. 16, 2020. Prior to coming to OU, Talpash started her collegiate career at University of San Francisco.

WILD NIGHT IN THE LITTLE APPLE

OU posted its best conference record since 2019 (5-9) after defeating Kansas State, 3-1, last Wednesday night inside Bramlage Coliseum in Manhattan. This marked the Sooners' fifth Big 12 win on the season.
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.
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. Wilson also added 10 digs to complete her third career double-double, which is also her third this season.
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 surpassed her freshman campaign in 2021 (436). Perkins led the team with four blocks (all block assists) and moved to 98 block assists on the season, which is the ninth-best program record for that in a single season.

TWICE AS NICE

Perkins was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week Tuesday afternoon for the second time this season.
She is the third Sooner in 2022 to earn multiple weekly accolades and joins Taylor Preston as the only Sooner freshmen to earn conference weekly honors this season.
The Rosharon, Texas, native led the offense with a career-high 15 kills and four blocks (all block assists) against Kansas State last Wednesday in a 3-1 victory.
Perkins was the best freshman in the conference last week in kills per set (3.75) and hitting percentage (.667), which tied for second overall in both categories. She also tied for fifth in points per set (4.25). For the 2022 season, Perkins is the best freshman in the Big 12 with a .421 hitting percentage and 1.17 blocks per set.

SETTING THE RECORD BOOK STRAIGHT

The 2022 team has already etched their name 10 times in the record books.
As a team, the Sooners set program records for aces (11) and block assists (30) in a four-set match, along with 28 block assists in a three-set match.
Wilson's five aces in a three-set match is tied for the most in program history, while sitting in second for aces in a single season with 51. She's only two aces away from overtaking the program record held by Kierra Holst from the 2014 season. She also cracked the record book for kills this season with 338 (10th). Wilson has etched her name five times in the record book, including posting 392 kills and 20 solo blocks during the 2021 season, putting her seventh and tied for fifth, respectively.
Perkins has already made her mark in the record book after setting a program record for 11 block assists in a three-set match against Texas Southern (Sept. 16). Currently, she is also second in hitting percentage for a single season with .421 and has moved up to ninth in block assists with 98. She's only 10 block assists away from seventh-best in program history in that category.
Kemohah posted a career-best 25 aces per season, moving in a tie for seventh. She's only five aces away from moving into the top five in that same category. Kemohah also moved into the top 10 with 432 digs per season, just four off from tying her career-best in a single season (436 digs in 2021). This is also her fourth mark in the record book after posting 436 digs and 23 aces during the 2021 season, sitting in ninth and 10th, respectively.

BATTLING IN THE BIG 12

As a team this season, OU is third with 1.44 service aces per set, while also fourth in hitting percentage (.251).
Multiple Sooners hold top-10 rankings in the current conference standings for all of the major statistical categories. Wilson leads the Big 12 in service aces per set (0.56) and total service aces (53). She also ranks second in the league with 4.55 points per set and 427.5 points, while sixth in the league with 3.60 kills per set.
Kemohah tops the conference in digs per set (4.60) and is third with 446 total digs.
Perkins is the top freshman in blocks per set (1.17), hitting percentage (.421) and total blocks (108). She moved to second in hitting percentage and third in blocks per set. Chamberlain ranks fifth with 9.74 assists per set.
In conference matches only, Wilson leads the Big 12 with 0.47 service aces per set and 25 total service aces. She's also fifth in points per set (4.16) and sixth with 3.38 kills per set.
Perkins sits in second with a .434 hitting percentage, while Chamberlain is sixth in assists per set (9.49). In conference play only, Kemohah is third with 226 total dig, fourth in digs per set (4.11), while also cracking the top 10 in service aces per set (0.29).

SEEING DOUBLE

Five Sooners have notched 11 double-doubles for the Sooners during the 2022 season with two doing it three times this season.
Preston posted the first career double-double for the Sooners this season after 11 kills and 10 digs against Ball State at the LUV Invitational in Nashville, Tennessee on Sept. 2. The following weekend, she notched her second double-double of the season with 19 kills and 11 digs at the Santa Clara Invitational against Fresno State in California on Sept. 11. She earned her third career double-double with a career-high 23 kills and 15 digs against Texas Tech last Wednesday.
Perkins posted her first career double-double with 11 blocks and 10 kills against Texas Southern on Sept. 16 to close out the non-conference slate.
Davison and Chamberlain both recorded double-doubles the fifth and sixth Sooner double-doubles on the season against Kansas State on Oct. 19. Davison posted her first of the year with season-highs in both kills (17) and digs (10), while Chamberlain earned her fifth career double-double with season-highs in assists (44) and digs (19). Chamberlain added her third double-double on the season with a season-high 54 assists and 14 digs against Texas Tech last Wednesday.
Wilson earned her first career double-double this season at Kansas with 16 kills and a career-high 16 digs on Oct. 30. She's one of three sooners to notch more than one double-double this season after posting 20 kills and 15 digs against Texas Tech on Nov. 9 and 13 kills and 10 digs last Wednesday at Kansas State.

ACE QUEEN

Wilson has come out swinging in her sophomore campaign and ranks ninth in aces per set (0.56) and 14th with 53 total service aces nationally. She is the only Big 12 player in the top 60 in both categories.
She leads the Big 12 in service aces per set (0.56) and total service aces (53), while also at the top in conference matches only with 0.47 service aces per set and 25 total service aces.
The sophomore's five aces in a three-set match is tied for the most in program history with Julia Doyle, who posted the same mark against Kansas State on Sept. 19, 2012. She's currently second for aces in a single season with 53, which is only two aces away from overtaking the program record held by Holst's 2014 season.

CROWD CONTROL

The Sooners set a program attendance record of 3,702 fans inside McCasland Field House on Nov. 12 during their loss against No. 1 Texas for the Red River Rivalry.
OU smashed its previous attendance record of 3,162 fans, which took place about 20 years ago on Oct. 17, 2003 vs. Texas A&M. It also marked only the second time in program history that the Sooners hit 3,000+ fans in a single match.

SIGNING DAY

Coach Gray-Walton announced the addition of three student-athletes during the 2022-23 early signing period. The tremendous trio joining the Sooners for the 2023 season are Mele Corral-Blagojevich, Emma Henry and Hannah Pfiffner.
The three-member class currently ranks No. 18 in PrepVolleyball.com's 2023 class rankings. The class is the fourth top-50 recruiting class since 2018 and third consecutive top-20 recruiting class overall. Individually, Corral-Blagojevich is currently ranked No. 27 and Pfiffner is No. 77.

SCOUTING IOWA STATE

The Cyclones are one of eight Big 12 schools ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA Women's Volleyball RPI rankings at No. 31.
Iowa State is currently 18-11 overall with a 9-6 mark in conference play.
Iowa State handed No. 1 Texas their first loss of the season in a five-set thriller, 3-2, in Ames on Oct. 19. This marked Texas' only loss in 2022 so far. The Cyclones picked up the second win in program history over a No. 1-ranking team with their last on Sept. 15, 2012 against Nebraska. It is also the sixth victory over Texas and ended a 10-match losing streak in the series, with the last win over the Longhorns on Nov. 12, 2016.
The Cyclones look to end a two-match losing streak after back-to-back losses on the road against No. 15 Baylor in Waco, Texas, and Kansas in Lawrence last week.
Iowa State leads the conference in five categories: assists (1,369), block assists (469), blocks (284.5), digs (1,601) and kills (1,460). The squad is also second with 155 service aces.
A trio of Cyclones sit in the top three of three major statistical categories in the Big 12. Sophomore Brooke Stonestreet leads the conference with 469 digs and third in digs per set (4.42). Junior Alexis Engelbrecht is second with 15 solo blocks and third in 110 block assists and 125 total blocks. Senior Eleanor Holthaus is also third with 348 kills.
Newcomer Maya Duckworth notched her fifth double-double of the season in the four-set victory over Texas Tech on Nov. 12. She matched a team-high 15 kills against the Red Raiders while adding 10 digs. Duckworth has earned three rookie honors this season.

SCOUTING TCU

The Horned Frogs are one of eight Big 12 schools ranked in the top 100 of the NCAA Women's Volleyball RPI rankings at No. 41. TCU is riding a four-game winning streak and currently has a 15-10 overall record and 10-5 in conference play, which ranks third in the Big 12.
On Nov. 12, senior Audrey Nalls led all players in points (25.5) and kills (22) in TCU's historic win over No. 10 Baylor, the Horned Frogs' first win over a ranked team in six years.
As a team, TCU is third in the conference with 1,202 assists. Individually, Nalls was named last week's Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week and sits in the top three in the Big 12 for the following categories: second with 379 kills and third in 3.79 kills per set and 417.5 in total points. The honor marked Nalls' third Big 12 offensive accolade this season.

QUICK HITTERS

OU's 10-2 non-conference record marks their best non-conference start since 2013, along with the Gray-Walton era.
The Sooners are 193-295 all-time in Big 12 play and 11-16 all-time in conference openers. Under Gray-Walton, OU is 32-37 in Big 12 play and 2-3 in league openers.
Eight of OU's regular season opponents earned berths in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, including seven conference foes - No. 1 Texas, No. 17 Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Longhorns reached the Elite Eight while the Jayhawks and Bears each advanced to the Sweet Sixteen.
OU will host every Big 12 team (eight) at home in 2022, including its regular season and Senior Night against TCU at 6 p.m. Saturday.

NEXT SERVE

The NCAA Tournament team field will be announced on Selection Sunday at 6:30 p.m. CT Sunday, Nov. 27, on ESPNU.

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Sooners Enter Final Week of Regular Season Play