NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Oklahoma volleyball team split a pair of matches on the final day of the LUV Invitational, defeating Lipscomb, 3-1, and falling to Mississippi State, 3-2.
"It was good to see us bounce back tonight after a hard-fought effort earlier in the day against Mississippi State," head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton said. "The theme all weekend was discipline. When we are fundamentally sound and disciplined in the job we're required to do, good things happen. We had multiple times to close the door, but we have to be in those moments to learn how to finish."
Freshman Alexis Shelton earned All-Tournament recognition at the LUV Invitational. Shelton racked up 43 kills and posted seven blocks on the weekend. During Friday's match against Ball State, Shelton came in hot with a career-high 18 kills, 42 attacks and four blocks.
The Sooners will travel to the west coast for the Santa Clara Tournament. OU will face host Santa Clara, Tulane and Fresno State, Sept. 9-11, in Santa Clara, California.
"Our team took major strides in their maturity as competitors and the culture that will anchor us during adversity," noted Gray-Walton. "We showed resolve and unity in how we played the game tonight. It was a total team effort to get a road win."
MISSISSIPPI STATE 3, OKLAHOMA 2
The Sooners opened the first match of the day against the Bulldogs, falling in five-set thriller, 25-20, 25-21, 25-27, 25-17, 3-15. The overall series against Mississippi State is now tied 2-2, with the Bulldogs winning the previous two meetings.
Sophomore Megan Wilson led the OU attack, finishing with 18 kills on 52 attempts and posted a career-high five service aces, while matching a career-best seven digs.
Freshman Taylor Preston also finished in double figures with a career-high 15 kills, while accounting for five digs. Newcomers Shelton and Morgan Perkins also chipped in nine kills apiece. Perkins' kill total accounted for a career high.
Sophomore Peyton Dunn had another strong afternoon with 49 assists and just missing on a double-double with eight digs to lead the team.
Defensively, graduate student Adria Oliver posted six blocks, which is one away from her career-high. Sophomore Callie Kemohah added her fifth match of double figures in digs with 25.
In the first set, OU reached a 14-9 advantage following a pair of attack errors by Mississippi State. The Sooners lead extended 16-10 after a pair of kills from Oliver. The Bulldogs were able to cut the lead by four, 21-17, after a kill by Gabby Waden and an attack error by OU's Wilson. The Sooners closed out the first set with back-to-back kills from Wilson and Preston, before a service error from Mississippi State's Lauren Myrick gave OU the first set, 25-20. The Sooners racked up 18 kills in the frame of a .467 clip, with Wilson, Oliver and Preston leading the charge with four kills apiece.
The second set was a battle from the start, with the two squads trading points up until a 2-0 Mississippi State run to give the Bulldogs a 5-3 advantage. OU was able to take at 7-5 lead after three consecutive service aces from Wilson. With the Bulldogs on top 13-12, the Sooners took the 15-13 advantage after a kill from Preston and a service ace from Kemohah at the media timeout. Wilson posted a pair of kills and a service ace to extend the lead by four (18-14) before a Bulldogs timeout. Mississippi State went on a 3-0 run before Wilson closed the set with a pair of kills to win the set, 25-21. Wilson posted a team-high seven kills in the set, followed by six from Preston. Defensively, Kemohah also accounted for eight digs in the set.
The third set continued the back-and-forth trend of the match with the set tied through the first eight points before the Sooners went on a 5-0 run to put them ahead 9-4. Later in the third, the Bulldogs went on a three-point run to close the Sooner lead by one (19-18). A ball handling error by Oliver knotted the match 25-25, before Mississippi State posted back-to-back kills to win its first set on the day, 27-25. OU's defense racked up four blocks in the third, led by Dunn and Oliver with two block assists apiece.
No point came easy for either side during the fourth set, with the teams knotted at 13-13 in the middle of the set. The Sooners took the one-point advantage (15-14) after a kill by Wilson before the media timeout. The momentum turned in favor of the Bulldogs 21-16, after a 5-0 run which included three consecutive Bulldogs kills and a pair of attack errors from the Sooners. OU was able to close Mississippi State's lead by one (24-23) after a kill by Preston and attack error from Mississippi State. Tied at 25-25, the Bulldogs pulled away with a 2-0 run to force a deciding fifth set. OU held Mississippi State to a .182 clip in the fourth set, while Perkins led the way defensively with four kills. Wilson added three, while Shelton and Preston each pitched in two in the frame.
The Bulldogs got off to a fast start in the fifth set with a 7-0 run to give them the lead. OU was able to get three points on the board after a trio of errors from Mississippi State. Out of the Oklahoma timeout, the Bulldogs secured the match, 3-2, after a 5-0 run to win the final set 15-3.
OKLAHOMA 3, LIPSCOMB 1
Two players finished in double digit kills as the Sooners dominated Lipscomb in a four-set victory, 25-17, 25-11, 17-25, 25-20.
Shelton led all players with 16 kills on a .519 clip, just two off from her career best. Wilson also finished in double figures with 13 kills and five blocks and digs apiece.
Defensively, the Sooners notched 21 blocks to Lipscomb's 11. Kemohah tallied 21 digs, four assists and career-high three service aces. Oliver posted six blocks, followed by four with Perkins.'
The first set saw Lipscomb take an early 3-0 run to take a 5-2 lead early in the set. OU chipped away at the lead and eventually tied the Bison, 6-6, after a service ace by Wilson and kill by Oliver. The momentum turned in favor of the Sooners after going on a four-point run, 13-8, which led to a Lipscomb timeout. OU was able to clinch the set, 25-17, after a pair of kills from Shelton. The Sooners posted 12 kills with a .550 hitting percentage, highlighted by Shelton's eight kills.
The Sooners were dominant in the second set, holding the lead for the entire time. OU jumped out to a 10-3 lead before Lipscomb called a timeout. Out of the break, the Sooners continued their dominance, 18-17, led by Wilson who accounted for three kills before another Lipscomb timeout. Dunn's kill closed out the set, 25-11, to give the Sooners a 2-0 lead in the match. Wilson posted a team-high six kills in the set, while Dunn added six assists.
Lipscomb pushed the match to a fourth after taking the third set, 25-17. The Sooners fell behind early in the set as Lipscomb jumped to a 5-1 lead. OU fought to take a 7-5 lead after a kill from Wilson and back-to-back service aces from Kemohah. About halfway through the set, back-to-back attack errors allowed the Bison knot it up 10-11, before going on a 3-0 run (14-11). Shelton's back-to-back kills pulled OU within one, but the Sooners couldn't overtake the hot start by the Bison. After a pair of service errors by Wilson and graduate student Savannah Davison, Lipscomb's Jada DiVita kill clinched the set for the Bison.
The final set saw multiple ties and lead changes as the teams traded points up to 7-7. A pair of errors from Lipscomb and a kill from Shelton gave the Sooners a 10-7 lead. OU had a comfortable 4-0 scoring run, leading 15-11 before the media timeout. The Bison were able to close the lead by two after a kill from Addi Pelham and attack error from Davison. Out of the Oklahoma timeout, Wilson added a pair of kills to extend the lead 23-19. An attack error from Lipscomb clinched the match for the Sooners, 3-1. Davison led the sooners with four kills in the set, followed by three each from Wilson and Shelton. OU's defense racked up four blocks in the final set, led by Oliver's two blocks.
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