MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Oklahoma volleyball team went back-to-back in conference wins for the first time since October 16-17, 2020, after it swept West Virginia, 3-0, Saturday afternoon inside the WVU Coliseum. The Sooners are now 13-10 overall and 5-4 on the road.
The Sooners took the match in straight-sets, 25-18, 25-22, 25-22. OU dominated the Mountaineers offensively with a .273 hitting percentage to West Virginia's .053. The Sooners led in all major statistical categories including points (51-43), kills (39-32), blocks (10-5), assists (38-30) and digs (43-33).
The victory also marked OU's first win in Morgantown since Sept. 28, 2019, and first road sweep against the Mountaineers in the WVU Coliseum since Nov. 17, 2018. It also marked the first time since OU posted consecutive road conference wins since the beginning of the Gray-Walton Era in 2018.
"West Virginia is a team that can go on runs and has the arms to give teams tough sets and closes matches at home," head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton said. "We are really proud of the emotional maturity to come in as a team, maintain our level of communication and execute efficiently to get the sweep."
Sophomore Megan Wilson and freshman Alexis Shelton led the offense with 11 kills each. Shelton had an impressive .500 clip with only two errors, while Wilson posted a .348 hitting percentage with three errors. Wilson also had five digs while Shelton added three blocks.
The reigning Big 12 Rookie of the Week, Taylor Preston, chipped in 10 kills, five digs and four blocks. Sophomore Payton Chamberlain added 34 assists, while sophomore libero Callie Kemohah posted 23 digs. Graduate student Adria Oliver led the Sooners with six blocks, just one off her season-high in that category.
The Sooners went on a quick 4-1 run until the Mountaineers made it a back-and-forth battle with a 4-0 run and take the lead 5-4. OU went on a four-point scoring run to make it 15-12 at the media timeout. After the break, the Sooners went on a 2-0 run, led by Preston's kill, forcing a West Virginia timeout. The Sooners went on a 4-0 run to force the Mountaineers' second time out in the first set. OU would end the set in dominate fashion, 25-18.
OU had another quick 4-1 start, but West Virginia fought its way back as the Sooners only led by 15-14. After the media timeout, the Sooners went on a 3-0 run to make it a three-point lead, 20-17, forcing a West Virginia timeout. Led by a Shelton kill, the Sooners went on another three-point run to force another Mountaineers' timeout.
In the third and final set, West Virginia jumped out to a 7-4 lead after a four-point scoring run. Although OU clawed its way back knot the set 7-7 and went on a 4-0 scoring run to take the lead, 11-8 before a West Virginia timeout. After the break, Shelton and Preston posted back-to-back Sooner kills to extend OU's dominance, 19-15. Freshman Sydney Thompson added an ace to make it a 22-18 lead, forcing a West Virginia timeout. OU went on a 3-0 run to take the final set, 25-22, to earn-back-to-back conference match wins this season.
The Sooners return home for the upcoming week to host a pair of teams from the Lonestar State. Inside McCasland Field House, OU will face Texas Tech this Wednesday and host No. 1 Texas for round two of the Red River Rivalry next Saturday, Nov. 12.
"This is big for momentum heading into the week," Gray-Walton noted. "Statistically we are turning the corner with three players posting over 10 kills combined with our relentless defensive presence led by Callie Kemohah, paved the way to have a high efficiency day all around."
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