Volleyball to Wrap up Non-Conference Slate in Texas

TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa volleyball team will wrap up the non-conference portion of the 2023 schedule at the SFA Tournament #2 this Friday and Saturday, Sept. 15-16. The Golden Hurricane will take on Ole Miss (5-3) and Stephen F. Austin (8-2) at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Friday and will conclude the tourney against Sam Houston (6-4) Saturday at 11 a.m.

TU's showdown with the hosting SFA Lumberjacks will stream on ESPN+. Fans unable to attend the match in person can watch it live on ESPN+. TU fans can subscribe to ESPN+ to watch select Golden Hurricane basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball games. ESPN+ is offered at $9.99/month or $99.99/year. To subscribe, go to plus.espn.com. Fans will be able to access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed.

Following a dominant 3-0 performance in last week's home Tulsa Invitational, graduate outside hitter Kayley Cassaday is now second in the country in kills per set (5.58), points per set (5.85) and attacks per set (14.27). She leads The American in those categories and also tops the league in total kills (145), points (152) and attacks (371).

Cassaday's 58 total attacks in the Hurricane's 3-0 sweep over Northwestern State mark the highest in a three-set match across the nation this season. Her 23 kills against UT Arlington last Friday is the second-highest mark in a three-set match nationwide.

Senior setter Avery Kalsu jumped to second overall in the AAC in assists per set (9.42) and sixth in total assists (245). Junior libero Marta Pecalli moved to eighth overall in the conference in digs per set (4.15) and 11th in total digs (108).

Tulsa and Ole Miss will meet for the first time since 1989 in the third overall match in the series that the Rebels currently lead 2-0.

After dropping their first three matches, Ole Miss has been victorious in their last five showings. Last week at the Ole Miss Invitational, the Rebels turned out three straight-set sweeps over Alcorn State, South Dakota State and Tennessee Tech at home.

The Rebels pass and hit the ball efficiently. Setter Aly Borellis is ninth in the country and second in the SEC in assists per set (11.30), while hitters Payton Brgoch and Sasha Ratliff have both hit for over .430 so far this season. The defense is led by Cammy Niesen, who is third in the SEC in digs per set (4.14) and fourth in total digs (120).

The Hurricane will take on Stephen F. Austin for the 11th match in the overall series. The Lumberjacks tied up the series at five wins apiece during last year's SFA Tournament with a 3-0 win over Tulsa.

SFA is currently sitting at 8-2. Last week, they competed in the Northern Arizona Tournament, where they picked up wins against Boise State and Northern Arizona and suffered a three-set setback to an undefeated Arizona State squad.

As a team, the Lumberjacks are second in the country in digs (641) and sixth in blocks (96.5). They lead the WAC in those categories and also lead their conference in kills (487), blocks per set (2.54), digs per set (16.87) and opponent hitting percentage (.140). The Lumberjacks' blocking numbers can be credited to middle blocker Izabella Ortiz, who is ranked fifth nationally in total blocks (51) and is second in the WAC in blocks per set (1.34). Offensively, SFA is led by hitter Ielan Bradley, who boasts 108 kills at 2.84 kills per set.

Saturday's match with Sam Houston marks the eighth overall meeting between TU and the Bearkats. Though Sam Houston leads the series 4-3, Tulsa prevailed last year in a 3-2 shootout at the Baylor Classic.

A 2-1 performance at last week's McNeese Invitational improved the Bearkats to 6-4 on the season. They grabbed 3-2 wins over Jackson State and McNeese and took a 3-1 loss to Southeast Missouri.

Sam Houston currently leads the nation in total attacks (1,553) and is second for team digs (641). They also lead C-USA in team assists (474) and team kills (527). The Bearkats' success relies on libero Hannah Baker, who has amassed 205 digs at 4.77 digs per set.

Volleyball to Wrap up Non-Conference Slate in Texas

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Players Mentioned

Kayley Cassaday

Avery Kalsu

Marta Pecalli