by NORMAN – Oklahoma Volleyball rallied after dropping the first set to beat FIU, 25-27, 25-18, 25-18, 25-17, Sunday afternoon in front of a passionate crowd at McCasland Field House.
“I think a credit to the sum of the parts, which is a big pillar for us, but it’s also it’s a true statement,” head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton said.” We have the depth on our roster, not because of our opponent, but because people have earned the right to play.”
The Sooners improved to 3-0 on the season and had their best opening weekend finish since the beginning of the Gray-Walton Era in 2018. This also marked the first meeting between the Sooners and Panthers, where OU now leads the series, 1-0.
“As a 3-0 start, it was it was everybody … it was the serving, passing, defense, and then that leads to offense,” Gray-Walton noted. “Everyone did their job when they were expected to. That’s how you build trust as a team and build consistency moving forward. We’re just really excited that we could play our brand of volleyball at our pace, that we wanted to manage the game. I think that can be a competitive advantage for us as we go on the road this weekend.”
Sophomore Megan Wilson led the match with 17 kills and added four digs, three blocks and a service ace. Wilson had a fast start in the match, recording seven kills in the first set.
Taylor Preston, playing in her first match as a Sooner, finished with 12 kills and a .407 hitting percentage. She also added three digs and a block in her collegiate debut. Preston had a strong finish with seven kills in the last two sets, including the final point of the match.
Graduate student Savannah Davison also had a big match with 12 kills, 10 digs and three blocks. Davison came in the second set to record four kills and had an impactful finish in the last set with six kills and four digs.
Sophomore Peyton Dunn added a career-best 18 digs and two service aces, while dishing 40 assists. In her sophomore campaign, Callie Kemohah (Osage) added 14 digs and eight assists.
Defensively, freshman Morgan Perkins led the Sooners with six blocks. She also added eight kills and hit .400 in the match.
FIU took the first set in the back-and-forth battle, holding on for a 27-25 win. The Sooners committed 10 attack errors and hit .122 in the first set.
