Sooners Fall in Five to No. 17 Baylor

Final	1	2	3	4	5	T
Baylor (13-3,3-1 Big 12)	22	25	25	20	15	3
Oklahoma (11-5,1-3 Big 12)	25	18	23	25	10	2

Game Leaders

Oklahoma

K: Alexis Shelton - 15

B: Morgan Perkins - 4

D: Callie Kemohah - 21

SA: 3 Players (#9, #3, #10) - 2

Baylor

K: Lauren Harrison - 15

B: Kara McGhee - 6

D: Lauren Briseno - 16

SA: 2 Players (#3, #10) - 2

Team Stats

Oklahoma

Baylor

Hitting %

0.163

0.243

Blocks

Digs

Aces

full stats

Posted: Oct 06, 2022

WACO, Texas – Oklahoma Volleyball fell in a five-set thriller to No. 17 Baylor, 3-2, on Wednesday evening inside the Ferrell Center in Waco.

"We loved the fight out of the team tonight," head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton said. "It was a battle and our ability to make plays at critical moments allowed us to push it to five sets. This team wants to win, so moments like tonight are tough because you know how close we are. Committing to staying the course and pushing forward in the process to get better every day has to continue to be the focus for this very young, strong willed and gifted team."

The Bears took the match, 25-22, 18-25, 23-25, 25-20, 10-15. Baylor also led OU in five of the six major statistical categories, except for services aces where the Bears and OU each posted eight apiece.

Freshman duo Alexis Shelton and Taylor Preston led the way with a pair of double-digit kills at 15 and 11, respectively. Shelton also added three digs and a block while Preston added a dig and a block. Freshman Morgan Perkins added nine kills, while leading the Sooners with four blocks.

Sophomore Payton Chamberlain added 39 assists while adding three blocks and two digs.

Defensively, sophomore libero Callie Kemohah led OU with 21 digs, while sophomore Megan Wilson hit a career-high nine digs. Both Kemohah and Wilson added two service aces apiece, putting Wilson's season total to 37.

"I can't talk enough about the freshman trio that continues to carry a load for this team in Taylor, Alexis and Morgan," Gray-Walton noted. "Callie was a big reason we could get them going with how she took command of the floor in serve, receive and defense."

In a back-and-forth battle in the opening set, the Sooners were tied with Baylor, 6-6, before jumping to a two-point lead, 9-7. The Bears were able to take the lead, 13-12, after a pair of attack errors from the Sooners. Coming out of the media timeout, the Sooners went on a 4-0 run after a pair of kills from Shelton and attack errors from Baylor. Baylor had to call its second timeout of the set after OU went on a 3-0 run, highlighted by a service ace from freshman Chloe Kaminski. The Bears went on a 3-0 run before OU called a timeout. The Sooners would go on to win the first set, 25-22.

Baylor jumped out to a 15-11 lead before a media timeout in the second set and never looked back. The Bears added two more points, 17-11, forcing an OU timeout. Back-to-back kills from Baylor extended its lead, 21-14, causing another Sooners timeout. Baylor would win the second set, 25-18.

With the third set tied at 10-10, the Sooners went on to take the lead, 15-14, before a media timeout. After a Baylor timeout, the Bears went on a 4-0 run after several attack errors from the Sooners, leading 21-19. In Baylor's second timeout in the set, the Bears went on a 3-0 run to close the third set, 25-23, and grab a 2-1 lead in the match.

After a slow start in the fourth set, the Sooners grabbed the lead 9-7, after a 3-0 run before a Baylor timeout. Coming out of the break, OU went on a 4-0 run after kills from Wilson and Shelton. Baylor was within one of the lead after a 2-0 run, forcing an OU timeout. A service error from Baylor and a kill from Shelton forced another Baylor timeout. The Sooners kept the match alive to win the fourth set, 25-20.

In the fifth and final set, it was a back-and-forth battle, but Baylor pulled away after a 3-0 run before a media time out. The Bears would continue to dominate after an OU timeout, extending their lead 10-6. Baylor would go on to win the set and match in dominant fashion, 15-10, after a pair of OU attack errors and a kill from the Bears' Lauren Harrison.

The Sooners make their fourth trip to the Lone Star State where they face Texas Tech at 6 p.m. next Wednesday, Oct. 12, before returning to McCasland Field House to host Iowa State for Alumni Weekend at 6 p.m. next Saturday, Oct. 15.

"We like having the ability to use this upcoming bye for rest, recovery and letting them be kids in college for a weekend," Gray-Walton noted. "We all need it to be refreshed for the next road trip and Big 12 matchup."