Volleyball Set for Final Non-Conference Tournament

NORMAN – The Sooners will wrap up non-conference play this weekend at the K-State Invitational. OU will face UCSB on Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT, before facing former Big 12 for Kansas State on Sunday at 4 p.m. Sunday's match will be the first national broadcast for the Sooners with the match airing on ESPNU.

Date: Friday, Sept. 20
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Opponent: UC Santa Barbara
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

Date: Sunday, Sept. 22
Time: 4 p.m. CT
Opponent: Kansas State
Watch: ESPNU
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

WEEKEND RECAP
The Sooners extended their winning streak to five matches after a 2-0 weekend at the Tulsa Volleyball Invitational. Alexis Shelton, Lydia Martyn and Kari Geissberger were named to the All-Tournament team, with Shelton earning MVP honors.
OU opened the tournament with a sweep of Stephen F. Austin in which Leah LaBoy recorded a double-double with 31 assists and 14 digs. Against host Tulsa, the Sooners pulled off a reverse sweep of the Golden Hurricane, earning the 3-2 victory. Martyn went off for 18 kills and a .607 hit rate in that match, while Shelton recorded 22 kills and 14 digs for a double-double.

ROAD WARRIORS
The Sooners have played their entire non-conference slate away from the friendly confines on McCasland Field House. Despite being on the road, the Sooners are 5-1 on the season and currently riding a five-match winning streak. Of OU's eight non-conference games, six have been or will be played outside of the state of Oklahoma with the other two taking place in Tulsa Sept. 12-13.

BROTHERLY LOVE
With the Sooners headed to Manhattan, head coach Aaron Mansfield will once again be taking on his older brother, Jason, who is the head coach of K-State. Both coaches are in their second year at the helm of their respective programs and are 1-1 against each other after the 2023 season. Last year, the Sooners took an epic five-set reverse-sweep victory over the Wildcats, before dropping the second match in three sets.

MANSFIELD'S ALMA MATER
Head coach Aaron Mansfield will face his alma mater on Friday when the Sooners take on UCSB. After his playing career, Mansfield was an assistant coach for the men's team for five seasons and a volunteer assistant coach for the women's team for one season. As a player, he was a three-year team captain and an All-American libero while playing for the Gauchos.

WELCOME TO THE BLOCK PARTY
The Sooners defense has been a force to be reckoned with this season, recording at least 10.0 blocks in four of six 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 5.0 blocks in every match this year. The Sooners lead the SEC with 3.00 blocks per set, while Lydia Martyn leads the league with 1.57 per set.

DOUBLE THE FUN
For the second-straight weekend, a pair of Sooners recorded a double-double. After each recording a double-double against Drake, Leah LaBoy and Alexis Shelton notched their seconds of the season. LaBoy recorded 31 assists and 14 digs against Stephen F. Austin, while Shelton notched 22 kills and 14 digs against Tulsa.

STATS & RANKINGS
Through two weeks, the Sooners are well represented in the SEC rankings. OU ranks first in blocks at 3.00 per set, fourth in assists at 13.43 per set, fourth in hitting percentage (.275) and sixth in kills at 13.91 per set. Individually, Lydia Martyn leads the league in blocks with 1.57 per set, while Alexis Shelton ranks second in kills at 5.09 per set. Payton Chamberlain is sixth in assists at 10.38 per set.

THE OPPOSITION
UCSB: The Gauchos are 2-8 on the year, with wins over South Florida and St. John's. UCSB and OU have played a mutual opponent, with UCSB falling 3-2 to Omaha over the weekend. The Gauchos have played five ranked teams this season. Eva Travis leads the offense with 113 kills on the season, followed by 89 from Sophie Reavis.

K-STATE: The Wildcats enter the weekend just 2-5 on the season with wins over Lipscomb and UMBC. K-State has faced a tough non-conference slate with matches against then No. 8 Purdue, No. 20 USC and No. 11 Creighton. Aliyah Carter has reached double-digit kills in all seven matches for the Wildcats and leads the team with 117 on the year at a 4.33/set rate.

LOOKING AHEAD
The inaugural SEC season kicks off on Thursday, Sept. 26, when the Sooners host the Florida Gators inside McCasland Field House.

FOLLOW THE SOONERS
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