NORTHMAN – Under second year head coach Aaron MansfieldThe Oklahoma volleyball team will open its 2024 season at the Ameritas Players Challenge in Lincoln, Neb. The tournament features the Sooners along with host Nebraska, TCU and Texas A&M Corpus-Christi. The season opens Friday at 4:30 p.m. against TCU with game two against TAMU-CC scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. Both games will be played at the Devaney Center.

Date: Friday August 30th Time: 4:30pm CT Opponent: TCU Live statistics: State broadcast

Date: Saturday August 31st Time: 1:00 PM CT Opponent: Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Live statistics: State broadcast

ROAD FIGHTERS

The Sooners will play their entire 2024 non-conference schedule outside the friendly confines of McCasland Field House. After opening weekend in Lincoln, Nebraska, OU returns to the state of Nebraska for a pair of games hosted by the University of Omaha (Sept. 6-7).

After traveling to Omaha in Week Two, the Sooners remain in-state for a pair of matches at the Tulsa Volleyball Invitational (Sept. 12-13). The non-conference slate concludes at the K-State Invitational Sept. 20-22.

ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
A new year means a new era as the Sooners enter their first season in the Southeastern Conference. Formerly a member of the Big 12 Conference since its inception in 1996, the Sooners officially joined the SEC on July 1, 2024.

The 2024 schedule will feature 16 games, with each school playing two teams twice and each other team playing once. The Sooners will play Arkansas and Texas at home and away next season. The schedule will feature six home and six away games with the remaining 12 teams. OU will play Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Missouri, Texas A&M and Auburn at home and see Kentucky, LSU, Georgia, South Carolina, Ole Miss and Mississippi State on the road.

Nine of Oklahoma’s 14 opponents advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2023: Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Texas. Texas won the national championship in 2023, while Arkansas reached the Elite Eight and Tennessee and Kentucky reached the Sweet 16. Five of OU’s opponents also finished in the top 25 of the 2023 AVCA Coaches Poll: No. 1 Texas, No. 8 Arkansas, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 10 Kentucky and No. 19 Florida. Texas also won the 2023 Big 12 championship, while Kentucky claimed the SEC title.

GUESS WHO’S BACK
The Sooners have nine athletes returning from the 2024 roster, including starters Payton Chamberlain, Alexis Shelton, Callie Kemohah, Hannah Pfiffner And Lydia MartynOther important returnees include: Kelsey Carrington, Sydney Thompson, Ireland McNees And Daleigh Ellison.

Chamberlain appeared in 27 games and led the Sooners in assists (1,082). She finished the season averaging 10.20 assists per set and added 207 digs. Shelton finished her sophomore season with a team-leading 400 kills, while adding 97 digs and 55 total blocks.

Kemohah led the Sooners with 391 digs and was second on the team with 121 assists. Martyn led the team with 111 total blocks, including 17 solo, while contributing 243 kills.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
During the offseason, the Sooners added four transfers and three freshmen to complete the 2024 roster. Carley Butler, Jasmine Ellison And Whitney Wallace will make their debut at university level and Kelli Jo Burgess (Utah), Kari Geissberger (Loyala Marymount), Chamomile Gibson (Tennessee) and Leah Wilton-LaBoy (Utah State) wears the Crimson and Cream colors for the first time.

Burgess comes to the Sooners after two seasons at Utah, where she was the Pacific South Region Freshman of the Year and a member of the All-Pac-12 Freshman Team. Her .376 hitting percentage was second-best all-time at Utah in a single season in 2022.

Geissberger was a four-year starter at LMU and played three seasons under current OU head coach Aaron MansfieldShe has 1,150 kills in her career and was an AVCA All-American in 2022.

Laboy led Utah State in assists with 685 as a freshman, including a career-high 37 when she recorded at least 20 assists in 21 games. Gibson did not play her freshman season at Tennessee and has four years of eligibility remaining.

CLIMBING IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Graduated student Callie Kemohah will make her mark in the OU record books when she finishes her career this season. The four-year starter at libero currently sits tied for sixth all-time with 1,301 digs and is just seven digs shy of the top five. With eight digs in 2024, Kemohah will pass two-time Big 12 Libero of the Year Keyton Kinley. Kemohah could finish her career in second place, needing just 135 to equal Melissa Peterson’s 1,436 career digs.
Senior Payton Chamberlain is also looking for a top 10 finish in her Oklahoma career. The setter needs just 32 digs to get into 10^and place at all times.

THE OPPOSITION

TCU: The Horned Frogs are coming off a 17-15 season that saw them advance to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Melanie Parra was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year and was unanimously selected to the Preseason All-Big 12 team, joining teammate Jalyn Gibson as one of 18 student-athletes from 11 schools. As a team, head coach Jason Williams’ Horned Frogs were picked fourth (146) in the preseason poll, earning one first-place vote. Only Kansas (173), BYU (168) and Arizona State (158) were selected ahead of TCU. It’s tied for the program’s second-highest preseason projection, as the 2023 team was also tabbed fourth a year ago and third in 2019.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: TAMU-CC is coming off a 22-10 season. The Islanders were tipped to finish fourth in the Southland Conference in 2024 after an impressive 2023 season that saw them finish second with a 16-2 league record. Seniors Kyndal Payne and Leah Stolfus were named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team, while Kayla White took the libero position on the Second Team. The three selections were the most of any other conference team.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Sooners return to the state of Nebraska for the second straight weekend, taking on Omaha and Drake in the MH Hospitality Omaha Challenge, hosted by the University of Omaha. OU takes on Drake on Friday, September 6 at 6 p.m. CT before taking on Omaha on Saturday, September 7 at 1 p.m. CT.

FOLLOW THE SOONERS
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