Hurricane Volleyball Opens Home Slate with Tulsa Invitational

Full Match Notes (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa volleyball team is set to host its 2023 home opener at the Donald W. Reynolds Center Thursday against cross-town rival Oral Roberts, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The match will be the first of three from this week's Tulsa Invitational with contests against UT Arlington and Central Arkansas rounding out the third week of non-conference play for the Golden Hurricane.

Tickets are $5 general admission and can be purchased at the ticket office in the Reynolds Center, online at TulsaHurricane.com/tickets or by calling the TU Athletic Ticket Office at 918.631.4688. Season tickets are available at $30.

TU's showdown with ORU 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.

Tulsa is 14-6 in home tournaments in the last ten years and 85-38 all-time. Graduate outside hitter Kayley Cassaday is fourth in the country with 13.5 attacks per set. She leads The American in that category and is second in the league in kills per set (4.94) and points per set (5.13). Cassaday's 58 total attacks in the Hurricane's 3-0 sweep over Northwestern State mark the highest in a three-set match in the nation this season. Senior setter Avery Kalsu is fifth in the AAC in assists per set (8.13) and ninth in total assists (130).

Tulsa and cross-town rival Oral Roberts will meet for the 84th time on Thursday. The Golden Eagles lead the overall series 57-26, but TU has been victorious in the last 13 matchups and hasn't dropped a match to ORU since the 2008 season.

ORU is off to a 2-4 start to the year. Last week at the Hampton Inn Invitational, the Eagles suffered three-set setbacks to Eastern Illinois and IUPUI before sweeping UC Riverside 3-0.

Oral Roberts' offense is led by outside hitter Trinity Freeman, who is third in the Summit League in kills per set (3.40) and fourth in attacks per set (9.75). The offense is directed by setter Kalena Vaivai, who has 169 assists under her belt at a rate of 9.75 assists per set. The defense is highlighted by libero Breanna Rivas' 71 digs on the year.

The Hurricane will take on UT Arlington in the sixth overall match in the series, which Tulsa leads 4-1. Tulsa previously defeated UT Arlington 3-1 at the Maverick Classic in 2021.

The Mavericks are one of 33 teams in the country off to an undefeated start to the season. Last week in their home-opening tournament, UTA defeated Incarnate Word, Presbyterian, and Louisiana Tech without losing a single set to move to 6-0 on the year.

UTA leads the WAC in kills per set (14.38). They also average 13.33 assists per set, driven by setter Mollie Blank, who leads the league in assists per set with 10.32. On the defensive side, UT Arlington is fourth in the WAC in total digs (302) and blocks (49.5).

Saturday's match with Central Arkansas marks the 11th overall meeting and the first since 2021, where the Hurricane swept the Bears at the Redhawks Invitational. Tulsa leads the overall series 8-2.

The Sugar Bears are off to a 2-5 start. Previously, they hosted the Central Arkansas Invitational and picked up a 3-1 win over Little Rock and fell 3-1 to Southeastern Louisiana. Following the tournament, they were narrowly edged 3-2 by Colorado State.

UCA has strong benchmarks despite the five-loss start to the season. They lead the ASUN conference in total attacks (959), kills (336), assists (298), aces (46), digs (379) and blocks (41). Setter Caylan Koons is the driving force of the Sugar Bears offense with 9.46 assists per set at a league-leading 265 total assists.

Tulsa Invitational Schedule
Date                Opponent                                                       Time (CT)
9/7 (Thu.)       Oral Roberts                                                   6:30 p.m.
9/8 (Fri.)          Central Arkansas vs UT Arlington                   10 a.m.
9/8 (Fri.)          Oral Roberts vs Central Arkansas                   4 p.m.
9/8 (Fri.)          UT Arlington                                                   7 p.m.
9/9 (Sat.)         UT Arlington vs Oral Roberts                          11 a.m.
9/9 (Sat.)         Central Arkansas                                            2 p.m.

Hurricane Volleyball Opens Home Slate with Tulsa Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Kayley Cassaday

Avery Kalsu