Sooners Ready to Open Season Friday

Oklahoma

Gonzaga

Iowa

FIU

Oklahoma Invitational / Aug. 26-28 / McCasland Field House / Norman
Live Stats / SoonerVision on ESPN+ / OU Match Notes / Iowa Match Notes / 2022 Media Guide

NORMAN — The Oklahoma volleyball team is set to open the 2022 season this weekend when they host the OU Invitational inside McCasland Field House, Aug. 26-28.

"It's an exciting time to kick off Oklahoma volleyball, as we launch into 2022 and on to SoonerVision on ESPN+," head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton said. "It's an opportunity to showcase our female athletes and our sport."

OU opens the tournament with Gonzaga on Friday at 7 p.m. The Sooners will face Big Ten foe Iowa on Saturday at 5 p.m. and conclude the weekend with FIU on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 1 p.m.

All OU matches will air on SoonerVision on ESPN+. For more information on how to watch, click here.

"We've come a long way as a team and the culture of our program is in a place where we're ready to be tested, pushed and fully expecting to have success with our newfound grit and physical prowess," Gray-Walton noted.

For fans in attendance, doors at McCasland Field House open an hour before the first match of the day. 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.

Season and single-match tickets are now on sale for the 2022 season. Fans can purchase online through SoonerSports.com or by calling the OU ticket office at (405) 325-2424. Adults are $7 and youth/senior tickets are $5.

"We want to continue the trend of female championship teams and how better than to have a packed McCasland Field House for all three matches this weekend," Gray-Walton said.

WEEKEND STORYLINES

MARKETING PROMOS AND GIVEAWAYS - TITLE IX

In celebration of the 50th year of Title IX, OU will be giving out Title IX t-shirts to fans in attendance while supplies last at Friday's opener at 7 p.m. against Gonzaga.

OU Invitational Schedule
Date	Opponents	Time (CT)
Aug. 26	Gonzaga vs. Iowa	Noon
Aug. 26	FIU vs. Iowa	5 p.m.
Aug. 26	Oklahoma vs. Gonzaga	7 p.m.
Aug. 27	Gonzaga vs. FIU	Noon
Aug. 27	Oklahoma vs. Iowa	5 p.m.
Aug. 28	Oklahoma vs. FIU	1 p.m.

QUICK HITTERS

Eight of OU's regular season opponents earned berths in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, including Ball State and seven conference foes - Baylor, Iowa State, Texas, 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, respectively.
The Sooners will open the season at home before hitting the road for seven of their next nine matches. OU will face eight opponents on the road in the month of September, hosting only three matches, including its conference home opener against Kansas.

SCOUTING GONZAGA

Gonzaga is led by new head coach Katie Wilson, who's entering her first season after being an associate head coach at Notre Dame since 2018.
The team consists of four freshman, one sophomore, five juniors, six seniors, and two graduate students. The Bulldogs also added one transfer, middle blocker Kelsie White from Montana State.
OU swept host Gonzaga in its first meeting last year, 3-0, during the Gonzaga Invitational in Spokane, Wash.

SCOUTING IOWA

Jim Barnes enters his first season with the Hawkeyes, becoming the 11th head coach of the Iowa volleyball program. Barnes arrives in Iowa City after spending six seasons (2016-21) as the head coach of Tulane and spent 11 seasons in the Big 12, where he led Baylor from 2004-15. In his 24 years as a head coach, Barnes put together six top-20 recruiting classes and made four appearances in postseason tournaments, including a program first NCAA Sweet 16 run with Baylor in 2009.
The Hawkeyes have a lot of fresh faces, adding nine student-athletes to the team this season, including seven transfers and two freshmen. Two of the transfers followed Barnes to Iowa City, junior middle hitter Anna Davis and outside hitter Michelle Urquhart.
This will be the first meeting between the Sooners and Hawkeyes since 1978 and fourth overall. OU leads the overall series 2-1 with its last win against Iowa on Sept. 30, 1978, in Madison, Wisconsin.

SCOUTING FIU

Panthers head coach Cristina Robertson enters her first year as head coach this season. Robertson was the head coach of UMBC for four years, where she led the Retrievers to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.
The team welcomes 12 transfers, including two following Robertson from UMBC - junior middle blocker Beste Ayhan and sophomore outside hitter Kira Givans.
This marks the first meeting between the Sooners and Panthers.