Completed Event: Volleyball at Abilene Christian on August 30, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 0
Final
Volleyball
3
at Abilene Christian
0
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Friday, September 12
Norman, Okla.
6:00 PM
University of Oklahoma
6-1,0-0SEC
3
vs
1
Saint Mary's
1-6,0-0WCC
1
2
3
4
F
Saint Mary's (CA)
21
25
23
23
1
Oklahoma
25
20
25
25
3
Photo by: Channing Holloway/University of Oklahoma
Sooners Top St. Mary’s Friday Night in Four-Set Battle
September 12, 2025 | Volleyball
NORMAN – A strong offensive showing and a career-best outing from freshman Tekoa Barnes led the Oklahoma volleyball team to a 3-1 victory over St. Mary's College Friday night inside McCasland Field House.
The Sooners had four players with double-digit kills on the night, all hitting over .350 to lead OU past the Gaels (1-6).
Barnes had her best showing of the year for the Sooners (6-1) with 14 kills on a .542 clip. The freshman added two service aces, five digs and two blocks to her career night. Kelli Jo Burgess was the offensive spark for OU with 10 kills and no errors for a hitting percentage of .625 on the night. Burgess has now hit over .500 in four of her last five games. Alexis Shelton notched 16 kills at a .361 rate and Emoni Bush chipped in 15 at a .406 mark. Shelton added five digs and two blocks, while Bush had six digs, two aces and one block.
Avaya Maga and Harper Hall combined for 50 assists, notching 26 and 24, respectively. Dionii Fraga led all Sooners with nine digs on the night.
The Sooners took the first set 25-20 behind a combined 10 kills from Shelton and Barnes. St. Mary's took a 7-6 lead early in the opening frame, but a 4-0 run gave OU a lead it would not relinquish. A kill from Shelton gave the Sooners a seven-point lead and set point, but the Gaels used a 4-0 run to cut the lead to three. Up 24-21, Kamille Gibson crushed her fourth kill of the night to secure the win.
St. Mary's took the second set with a 25-20 victory as the Sooners hit just .205 to the Gaels .382 mark.
The third set was a tightly contested battle with neither team able to establish a clear advantage. SMC took a late two-point lead at 20-18 before Barnes and Shelton went back-to-back to tie the match at 20-all. Tied again at 22-22, Bush scored the final three points for the Sooners for the 25-23 victory and a 2-1 OU advantage in the match.
An impressive come-from-behind victory in the fourth set clinched the match. Down 22-17, the Sooners capitalized on a strong showing from Bush at the service line. With Bush serving, OU used a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the match at 23-22. The Gaels tied the match again, but Burgess notched her 10th kill to set up match point and an SMC error sealed the victory.
The Sooners and Gaels will return to the court on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT for the final match of the series.
FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS
For updates, follow @OU_Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram, or like Oklahoma Volleyball on Facebook.
The Sooners had four players with double-digit kills on the night, all hitting over .350 to lead OU past the Gaels (1-6).
Barnes had her best showing of the year for the Sooners (6-1) with 14 kills on a .542 clip. The freshman added two service aces, five digs and two blocks to her career night. Kelli Jo Burgess was the offensive spark for OU with 10 kills and no errors for a hitting percentage of .625 on the night. Burgess has now hit over .500 in four of her last five games. Alexis Shelton notched 16 kills at a .361 rate and Emoni Bush chipped in 15 at a .406 mark. Shelton added five digs and two blocks, while Bush had six digs, two aces and one block.
Avaya Maga and Harper Hall combined for 50 assists, notching 26 and 24, respectively. Dionii Fraga led all Sooners with nine digs on the night.
The Sooners took the first set 25-20 behind a combined 10 kills from Shelton and Barnes. St. Mary's took a 7-6 lead early in the opening frame, but a 4-0 run gave OU a lead it would not relinquish. A kill from Shelton gave the Sooners a seven-point lead and set point, but the Gaels used a 4-0 run to cut the lead to three. Up 24-21, Kamille Gibson crushed her fourth kill of the night to secure the win.
St. Mary's took the second set with a 25-20 victory as the Sooners hit just .205 to the Gaels .382 mark.
The third set was a tightly contested battle with neither team able to establish a clear advantage. SMC took a late two-point lead at 20-18 before Barnes and Shelton went back-to-back to tie the match at 20-all. Tied again at 22-22, Bush scored the final three points for the Sooners for the 25-23 victory and a 2-1 OU advantage in the match.
An impressive come-from-behind victory in the fourth set clinched the match. Down 22-17, the Sooners capitalized on a strong showing from Bush at the service line. With Bush serving, OU used a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the match at 23-22. The Gaels tied the match again, but Burgess notched her 10th kill to set up match point and an SMC error sealed the victory.
The Sooners and Gaels will return to the court on Saturday at 6 p.m. CT for the final match of the series.
FOLLOW THE OKLAHOMA SOONERS
For updates, follow @OU_Volleyball on Twitter and Instagram, or like Oklahoma Volleyball on Facebook.
Team Stats
SMC
OK
Kills
51
64
Errors
16
19
Attempts
115
135
Hitting %
.304
.333
Points
64.0
73.0
Assists
47
59
Aces
7
3
Blocks
6
6
Game Leaders
Kills-Aces-Blocks
Kills
16
Aces
1
Blocks
2
Kills
15
Aces
2
Blocks
1
Kills
14
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
10
Aces
0
Blocks
3
Players Mentioned
OH
/ Volleyball
MB
/ VolleyballOH
/ Volleyball
DS/L
/ Volleyball
PIN
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
S
/ Volleyball
PIN
/ VolleyballVB Highlights: OU 3, Florida State 2
Wednesday, September 10
VB Highlights: OU 3, Abilene Christian 0
Saturday, August 30
VB Highlights: OU 3, Incarnate Word 0
Friday, August 29
VB Highlights: OU 3, Missouri State 1
Friday, August 29
