Volleyball Welcomes Alabama to Norman Wednesday

NORMAN – The Oklahoma volleyball team is back at home for a midweek tussle with the Alabama Crimson Tide at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. The match is slated for a 6 p.m. start on SEC Network+ with Chad McKee and Kelly Files on the call.
Wednesday's match will serve as the second-annual Alzheimer's Awareness match.

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 23
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Opponent: Alabama
Watch: SEC Network +
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

WEEKEND REWIND
The Sooners went 1-1 on the weekend, picking up a five-set win over Georgia before falling in four to South Carolina. Down 2-0 in the match against Georgia, the Sooners were lights out in the final three sets to earn their second SEC victory of the season. The Sooners hit .308 in the third and fourth sets and an impressive .467 in the fifth.

Against South Carolina, the Sooners won the first set, 25-22, before dropping the final three, 13-25, 17-25, 23-25. Alexis Shelton led the team with a double-double, notching 14 kills to go with 10 digs. Kamille Gibson also recorded double-digit kills with 13 at a .333 clip, along with four blocks. Payton Chamberlain notched her eighth-straight match with 40-plus assists, tallying 41 in the match.

MILESTONES IN THE MAKING
Senior setter Payton Chamberlain is nearing in on an impressive career milestone. The Roanoke, Texas, native needs just 149 assists to reach the 3,000-career mark. Chamberlain is averaging 41sets per match this season and 10.49 per set and should easily reach 3,000 this season.

Junior outside hitter Alexis Shelton is nearing a milestone of her own, closing in on the 1,000 career kills mark. Shelton currently sits at 918 for her career, needing just 82 to hit the milestone. The senior is averaging 17 kills/match and 4.25 per set on the season.

HOME SWEET HOME
OU will host just eight games inside the Field House in 2024, welcoming Florida, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama, Missouri, Texas A&M, Texas and Auburn. Missouri, Texas A&M and Texas are all familiar with Norman after years spent in the Big 12 Conference, while Tennessee and Florida made their first trips to Norman this season.

The Sooners have played just three matches inside the Field House in 2024 and are 1-2 in those matches. After Wednesday's match, the Sooners will have just four matches at home in their remaining eight games.

WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY
The Sooners defense has been a force to be reckoned with this season, recording at least eight blocks in 13 matches this season. Against Tulsa on Sept. 13, the Sooners put up an impressive 20.0 blocks, the most by a Sooner squad since tallying 19.0 against Kansas State in 2020. OU has recorded at least 7.0 blocks in every match this year and reached the double-digit mark on seven occasions. In conference play the Sooners are third in blocks/set at 2.45, and first in all matches with 2.70 per set.

STATS & RANKINGS
Despite their record, the Sooners are statistically one of the top teams in conference games. OU ranks third in assists (12.93/set) and fourth in hitting percentage (.289) and kills (13.45/set). Payton Chamberlain is fourth in assists/set with 10.49 and Alexis Shelton is seventh in kills with 4.25 per set. Lydia Martyn is eighth in hitting percentage (.369) and blocks/set (1.17).

STELLAR SHELTON
After missing the final two matches of the 2023 season due to injury, junior Alexis Shelton has picked up where she left off, recording double-digit kills in every match this season. Shelton has now recorded 20 consecutive matches with double-digit kills going back to the 2023 season. In her last 40 games, she has reached the double-digit kill mark on 36 occasions. The junior has notched four 20-plus kill games this season and recorded 15 kills or more in 10 matches. Shelton also ranks second on the team in digs with 125 and second blocks with 52, proving herself to be quite the all-around player.

THE OPPOSITION
ALABAMA: The Crimson Tide are currently 10-8 on the year and 2-5 in SEC play after dropping a three-set decision to Kentucky on Sunday. As a team, Alabama had 10.0 blocks, its second-highest total in SEC play and its second conference match in double figures, in the loss. Offensively, the Tide is led by Sophie Agee's 3.90 kills/set and Kayla Keshocks 345 assists. Defensively, Chaise Campbell leads the way with 66 total blocks, while Francesa Bertucci leads the pack with 287 digs.

LOOKING AHEAD
OU is back in action inside McCasland Field House on Sunday, Oct. 27, for a 2 p.m. matchup against former Big 12 rival Missouri.

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