Tulsa Volleyball to Begin Season at Husker Invitational

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Tulsa, Okla. — The University of Tulsa volleyball team will begin the 2022 season at the Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. this Friday and Saturday, August 26 and 27. The Golden Hurricane opens with two games Friday, starting with Pepperdine at 9 a.m. and No. 1 ranked Nebraska at 6:30 p.m. Tulsa concludes the tournament Saturday against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at 1:30 p.m.

Tulsa's first-week opponents all saw postseason action last season. Nebraska finished 2021 as national runners-up after taking a five-set loss to Wisconsin in the NCAA Volleyball Championship match. Pepperdine and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi had first round exits in the NCAA Tournament.

Tulsa meets with Pepperdine for the second time in school history. The first game between the two programs resulted in a back-and-forth 3-2 victory for the Hurricane in 2019.

Friday's game against Nebraska also marks the second meeting between the Hurricane and the Huskers. The first game was a 3-0 loss for Tulsa in 2015. Tulsa was supposed to face Nebraska again at the Husker Invitational last season, but the game was canceled due to COVID-19 protocol.

Tulsa and the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Islanders have previously met three times, each resulting in wins for the Golden Hurricane. The last meeting was at the 2004 Sam Houston State Invitational where the Hurricane pulled away with a 3-1 win.

Head Volleyball Coach Ryan Wills enters his ninth year guiding the volleyball program. The Tulsa native and graduate has an overall record of 124-108. He took the Golden Hurricane to its third straight National Invitational Volleyball Championship appearance in 2021.

Tulsa returns five starters from the 2021 season.

Senior outside hitter Kayley Cassaday returns for her fourth season of Golden Hurricane volleyball. Cassaday led Tulsa with 455 kills at an average of 3.99 kills per set in 2021. She alsocontributed three solo blocks and 40 block assists. The veteran concluded 2021 with two American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll selections and was named to the AAC All-Conference First Team.

Junior setter Avery Kalsu will see an increased workload in 2022 after the graduation of setter Roosa Rautio over the offseason. Kalsu recorded 653 total assists last season. Along with a 6.66 assist per set average, she also completed the year with 275 digs at 2.81 digs per set.

Sophomore libero Marta Pecalli returns after finishing second in the American Athletic Conference with a whopping 534 digs at 4.56 digs per set in 2021. Pecalli also led the Golden Hurricane with 34 service aces last season, making her Tulsa's most lethal server heading into 2022.

Senior Aysu Dalogullari returns as an outside hitter for Tulsa Volleyball in 2022. The three-time letterwinner from Istanbul, Turkey was solid in 2021, ranking top five on the team in kills (238), digs (275), and assists (16). Dalogullari recorded season bests of 15 kills at Memphis and 15 digs are Cincinnati.

Graduate student Maddie Flora returns as a seasoned veteran at the defensive specialist and libero positions. Flora was one of four athletes to play in all 117 sets for Tulsa in 2021. As the team's only graduate student and four-time letter winner, Flora will be looking to improve her mark of 298 digs at a rate of 2.55 digs per set from last season.

Tulsa Volleyball to Begin Season at Husker Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Kayley Cassaday

Aysu Dalogullari

Maddie Flora

Avery Kalsu

Marta Pecalli

Roosa Rautio