Volleyball Set for Irish Invitational

NORMAN – The Oklahoma volleyball team is set to wrap up its non-conference road schedule this weekend at the Irish Invitational, hosted by Notre Dame. The Sooners will open the tournament against Illinois on Friday, Sept. 8, at 5 p.m. CT. OU will play the hosts on Saturday, Sept. 9 at 1 p.m. CT on ACC Network Extra.

Date: Friday, Sept. 8
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Opponent: Illinois
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

Date: Saturday, Sept. 9
Time: 1 p.m. CT
Opponent: Boise State
Watch: A CCNX
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

LAST TIME OUT

The Sooners went 1-1 at the Asics Invitational in Corvallis, Ore., over the weekend. In the opening match, the Sooners suffered their first loss of the season to Oregon State, 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-16).
OU would rebound in a big way on day two, topping Boise State, 3-1, in a match that saw Taylor Preston dominate with a career-best 23 kills.
Preston powered an impressive offense that saw four Sooners record double-digit kills. Lydia Burts and Alexis Shelton each tallied 14, while Daleigh Ellison chipped in 11. Hannah Pfiffner added eight kills on a .500 percentage, while Burts hit at a .435 clip.
Payton Chamberlain dished out a season-best 49 assists and 10 digs for her second double-double of the season. Callie Kemohah added 16 digs of her own and Sydney Thompson tallied 11.

AMAZING ALEXIS

Sophomore Alexis Shelton has gotten off to a hot start in 2023, recording a pair of double-doubles and setting her career-high with 26 kills against Ball State on Aug. 26.
Since recording just nine kills in the first match of the season, Shelton has tallied double-digit kills in her next four matches and boasts two 20-kill performances.
Her 4.50 kills per set leads the conference and her 26 kills against Ball State are the second-most in a match by a conference player this season. Shelton also ranks 19^th nationally in kills per set.

AROUND THE BIG 12

The Sooners currently rank third in the conference in hitting percentage (.287), behind only UCF (.330) and Cincinnati (.297). OU also ranks in the top three in both assists (3^rd – 13.33/set) and kills (3^rd – 14.39/set).
Individually, Alexis Shelton leads the conference with 4.50 kills per set. Her 81 total kills ranks fourth and her .350 hitting percentage ranks ninth in the league. Lydia Burts is also ranked in hitting percentage, coming in 10^th with a .349 mark and 10^th in blocks with 1.11/set.
Payton Chamberlain's 11.11 assists per set are good for third in the league, while her 200 total assists ranks fourth. Callie Kemohah is 9^th in the conference with 33.22 digs/set.

THE OPPOSITION

Illinois is 4-1 on the season, most recently coming off a win over Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday evening. The Illini were picked to finish seventh in Big 10 play.
Host Notre Dame is 2-2 this year, with a loss to Big 12 opponent, Texas tech during opening weekend. Sydney Palazzolo ranks 28th in the nation and first in the ACC with 4.35 kills per set. Palazzolo, a transfer from High Point, was the Big South Player of the Year in 2022 and Big South Freshman of the Year in 2021.

QUICK HITTERS

The Sooners are 4-3 against the tournament field in program history. OU is 1-1 against Illinois, though the two teams have not seen each other since 1988. Notre Dame leads the all-time series, 3-2, with the most recent meeting coming in 2005. OU has won the only meeting at either school's campus, defeating the Irish, 3-0, in South Bend in 1990.
The Sooners play just three non-conference games at home in 2023. OU will host UCLA for a pair of matches in mid-September and Tulsa in late October.
Eight of OU's regular season opponents earned berths to the 2022 NCAA Tournament, including Texas, Ball State, Houston, UCF, Iowa State, BYU, TCU and Baylor. Texas was crowned the national champion, while Houston and Baylor made it to the regional semifinals

FOLLOW THE SOONERS
For updates and more information on Oklahoma Volleyball, follow the Sooners on Twitter and Instagram (@OU_Volleyball) and like Oklahoma Volleyball on Facebook.

UP NEXT
The Sooners will return to the friendly confines of McCasland Field House for the 2023 home opener. OU will face UCLA in a pair of matches Sept. 15-16. Tickets can be purchased by visiting soonersports.com/tickets.