Volleyball Begins SEC Play with Florida, Tennessee at McCasland

NORMAN – The Oklahoma volleyball team will serve up its first season in the Southeastern Conference with a pair of matches to close out the month of September. The inaugural SEC match is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. as the Sooners welcome No. 15 Florida to McCasland Field House. The weekend wraps up with a Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. when No. 20 Tennessee makes the trek to Norman.

Both matches will air on SEC Network+ with Chad McKee and Kelly Files on the call.

Date: Thursday, Sept. 26
Time: 6 p.m. CT
Opponent: No. 15 Florida
Watch: SECN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

Date: Sunday, Sept. 29
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Opponent: No. 20 Tennessee
Watch: S ECN+
Live Stats: Statbroadcast

PROMOS & GIVEAWAYS
White Out McCasland: Fans attending Thursday's match against Florida are encouraged to wear white and "White Out" McCasland Field House for the home opener. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a free t-shirt. Concessions is offering a $2 deal for drinks, including beer, and popcorn.
Alumni Day: Sunday's match against Tennessee will serve as Alumni Day to recognize former OU volleyball players. A special recognition of the 1988 Elite Eight Team will also occur.

WEEKEND RECAP
The Sooners wrapped up their non-conference slate going 1-1 at the K-State Invitational. OU had its five-game winning streak snapped by UCSB on Friday night, as the Gauchos pulled off the sweep. Alexis Shelton recorded a double-double in the match. On Sunday, the Sooners rebounded with a sweep of their own over K-State. Payton Chamberlain notched a double-double of her own, while Kari Geissberger tallied eight kills and no errors at a .667 clip.

HOME SWEET HOME
For the first time in 2024, the Sooners will play inside the friendly confines of McCasland Field House. 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 will be making their first trips to play in McCasland.

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 eight 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 are second in the SEC in blocks per set with 2.97, just .02 behind first place Auburn. OU is also 10^th in the nation in blocks per set.

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 13 consecutive matches with double-digit kills going back to the 2023 season. In her last 33 games, she has reached the double-digit kill mark on 29 occasions. The junior has notched three 20-plus kill games this season and recorded 15 kills or more in six matches. Shelton also ranks second on the team in digs with 68 and second in blocks with 30, proving herself to be quite the all-around player. The junior ranks third in the nation with 5.03 kills per set.

CALIFORNIA LOVE
Loyola Marymount transfer and California native Kari Geissberger has been a welcome addition to the Oklahoma offense in 2024. The graduate student leads the team with a .331 hitting percentage and has recorded five games with a minimum .300 percentage. Against K-State on Sept. 22, Geissberger notched a season-best .667 hitting percentage with eight kills on 12 attempts and no errors.

WE DIG IT
With 97 digs on the season, libero Callie Kemohah is moving her way up the top five in OU history for career digs. The senior needed just seven digs going into the 2024 season to pass two-time Big 12 Libero of the Year Keyton Kinley for fifth place and now sits at 1,398 to sit in third. Kemohah needs just 38 digs to finish second all-time.

STATS & RANKINGS
Through two weeks, the Sooners are well represented in not just the SEC rankings, but national rankings as well. In the SEC, OU ranks second in blocks at 2.97 per set, fourth in assists at 13.45 per set, fifth in hitting percentage (.274) and fifth in kills at 13.83 per set. Individually, Lydia Martyn ranks second in blocks with 1.52 per set, while Shelton ranks second with 5.03 kills per set. Payton Chamberlain is second in assists per set at 11.13.

Nationally, the Sooners hold tow top 10 rankings coming in eighth in assists per set and 10^th in blocks/set. Shelton is third nationally in kills per set, while Martyn ranks seventh in blocks per set.

THE OPPOSITION
FLORIDA: Ranked No. 15, the Florida Gators enter conference play with a 9-2 overall record. The Gators' only losses are a five-set upset to South Florida and a sweep by then No. 15 Georgia Tech. Florida comes to Norman for the first time in program history on a four-game winning streak. Alexis Stucky was named the SEC Player of the Week and Setter of the Week, while Alec Rothe earned Freshman of the Week honors.

TENNESSEE: The Lady Vols are 7-3 on the season, after dropping a pair of matches to ranked teams in Penn State and Lousiville and an upset loss to Wofford. Tennessee opens their SEC slate on Wednesday at Alabama before making their first trip to Norman in program history. Outside hitter Nina Cajic was named the SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after recording 75 kills, 40 digs and six blocks in a three-game stretch. The Lady Vols are currently ranked No. 20 in the nation.

LOOKING AHEAD
OU will travel to No. 12 Kentucky for its first midweek road test of the season on Wednesday, Oct. 2, before returning home to host Arkansas on Sunday, Oct. 6.

MEET DAY POLICIES

Arena doors will open to the public one (1) hour prior to the start of the match. OU Athletics' clear bag policy will be in effect and walk-through metal detectors will be utilized. The approved clear plastic tote size is a maximum of 12 inches x 6 inches x 12 inches or a one-gallon clear plastic freezer bag. Even those bags are subject to search.

FOLLOW THE SOONERS

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