MANHATTAN, Kan. – The Oklahoma volleyball team posted its best conference record since 2019 (5-9) after defeating the Wildcats, 3-1, Wednesday night inside Bramlage Coliseum.
"Tonight's road win is huge!," said head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton. "It's another step in the process for this team of relentless competitors that are learning how to finish matches together."
The Sooners got off to a fast start to win the first two sets, 25-15, 25-23, before the Wildcats fought back to take the third set, 25-23. OU closed out the fourth set, 25-23, to take its fifth Big 12 victory on the season.
OU hit .295 for the match while holding Kansas State to a .194 hitting percentage. The Sooners were able to beat the Wildcats despite not leading in any of the six major statistical categories and tying in services with Kansas State (7-7).
The Sooners extend their lead in the overall series with the Wildcats, 59-37-1, while edging them on the road, 21-20. Under Gray-Walton, OU has a 6-4 record against Kansas State.
Offensively, a trio of Sooners notched double-digit kills, including two freshmen. Newcomer Morgan Perkins led the way with a career-high 15 kills, while fellow freshman Alexis Shelton added 14. Sophomore Megan Wilson posted 13 kills to bring her season total to 405, just two short from sixth in the record book for kills in a single season.
"The three keys were maintained throughout, along with a huge performance from Morgan Perkins," noted Gray-Walton. "Credit goes to our passing unit against a tough serving team in Kansas State. We put a lot of pressure on them in our three hitter rotations and that match up allowed us to pull away in the fourth set."
Sophomore Payton Chamberlain added her sixth 40+ assists performance on the season with 46 assists on the night.
Defensively, sophomore libero Callie Kemohah added 14 digs to bring her season total to 446. This moved her to ninth in the record books for digs in a single season and surpassing her freshman campaign in 2021 (436).
Wilson also added 10 digs to complete her third career double-double, which is also her third this season. The Texas native also added a pair of service aces, bringing her season total to 53, which is just one service ace shy of tying the program record in a single season.
Perkins led the team with four blocks (all block assists) and moved her to 98 block assists on the season, which is the ninth-best program record for that in a single season.
The Sooners and Wildcats began the battle in Set One, going back-and-forth until Kansas State took a two-point lead, 6-4. OU chipped away at the lead and eventually took over, 9-8, before going on a 3-0 run to force a Kansas State timeout, 12-9. The Sooners forced another Wildcats timeout after a three-point run, 15-10, that included kills from Perkins and Shelton, along with a service ace from Kemohah. Four-straight kills later in the set extended the Sooners' dominance, 22-13. OU would take the first set in dominant fashion, 25-15.
OU continued the momentum, jumping to a 9-6 lead to begin the second set. The Wildcats clawed their way back to tie the set, 14-14, before the Sooners took a one-point lead, 15-14, after a Kemohah kill. After the media timeout, Kansas State took the lead 16-15, but the Sooners would fight back to take the lead, 20-18, to force a Kansas State timeout. The Sooners would go on a 4-0 run to close the set, 25-23.
In the third set, the Wildcats got off to a quick 9-2 start, forcing an OU timeout. Kansas State was able to close the lead by four, 12-8, to force a Wildcats timeout. The Wildcats continued their dominance with a six-point lead, 17-11, to force another Sooners' timeout. OU went on a 2-0 at the end to cut its lead to one, 25-24, but the Wildcats won the third set, 25-23.
In the fourth and final set, OU had a 4-3 to begin the set, but the momentum shifted towards the Wildcats who went on a 5-1 run to take the lead, 9-5. The Sooners were able to knot the score, 11-11, after a 3-0 run that would force a Kansas State timeout. OU took the lead 13-11 after kills from Perkins and Shelton. In a back-and-forth battle, Preston added back-to-back services aces for a 18-16 lead, forcing a Wildcats timeout. Back-to-back kills from Kansas State senior Elena Baka put the Wildcats on top, 20-19, forcing an OU timeout. Another 3-0 run for the Sooners put them back on top, 22-20. Shelton put the match away for the Sooners, 25-23.
The Sooners conclude the regular season next week at Iowa State 6:30 p.m. CT next Wednesday, Nov. 23, before hosting TCU at 6 p.m. next Saturday, Nov. 26, for their regular season finale and Senior Night.
"The competitive spirit of this group continues to increase every time we play," said Gray-Walton. "This is a group that is truly invested in making a strong finish and living with the results when we go for it. We will enjoy this win tonight and look to build on it against a very good Iowa State team."
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