Hurricane Drops Series Finale to SMU, 3-0

Saturday, October 14

Tulsa, Okla.

3:00 p.m.

Tulsa

11-9,4-5AAC

SMU

14-6,8-1AAC

SMU

Tulsa

Photo by: Dave Crenshaw

Hurricane Drops Series Finale to SMU, 3-0

10/14/2023 5:32:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score

TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa volleyball team fell short in three sets (18-25, 18-25, 16-25) in the series finale against SMU Saturday in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. The loss drops the Golden Hurricane to 11-9 overall and 4-5 to American Athletic Conference opponents, while SMU rises to 14-6 overall and 8-1 in league play.

It was a repeat of Friday's performance as SMU's efficient hitting and tough defense held Tulsa's offense to just 30 kills and a .032 hitting percentage.

Senior setter Avery Kalsu was the focal point of the Hurricane offense, setting up six different Tulsa attackers on the way to 24 total assists at eight assists per set. She also added nine digs on the defensive side of the ball.

Tulsa's defense was headed up by graduate outside hitter Kayley Cassaday, who saved the ball 19 times at a rate of 6.33 digs per set. Junior libero Marta Pecalli and sophomore setter Brayden Hipp assisted the defense with six digs each.

Sophomore middle blocker Arianna Mongare led the TU front row with two block solos and a block assist. In the attack, she put away six kills of her own.

Tulsa will continue AAC competition Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20-21, in a two-match road series at Wichita State (13-5, 7-1 AAC).

Game Notes
» Kayley Cassaday led the court with 19 digs.
» Avery Kalsu had a team-high 24 assists.
» TU committed 26 attack errors.

How It Happened

SET 1 | SMU scored the first point and never gave up the lead in the first set. Avery Kalsu put up a whopping 11 assists to five different attackers before the Mustangs closed out set one 25-18

SET 2 | The Mustangs grabbed control of the stanza at 3-2 and never trailed in a set where SMU held Tulsa to a -.043 hitting percentage. Kayley Cassaday tried to jumpstart the defense with seven digs in the set, but it wasn't enough as SMU pulled away 25-18 to go up 2-0.

SET 3 | In the third and final set, Tulsa could not find a way to get SMU out of system as the Mustangs knocked down 17 kills on the way to taking the set 25-16 to seal the match. Despite winning the block battle 2-1, the Mustangs' efficient attack (.342) was too much to overcome.

Tulsa   18        18        16
SMU    25        25        25