Tulsa Volleyball Faces Ranked Foes in Nonconference Finale

TULSA, Okla. — A pair of ranked matches highlight the nonconference finale for the Golden Hurricane volleyball team this weekend as TU faces No. 10 Kansas and No. 6 Purdue in the Jayhawk Classic in Lawrence, Kan.

The Hurricane will take on the hosting Jayhawks (7-0) first on Friday, Sept. 20, at 6:30 p.m. and wrap up the weekend against the Boilermakers (8-0) early Saturday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. It'll be one of the premier events in the college volleyball world as the tournament field of four teams – TU, Kansas, Purdue and No. 9 Creighton – hold a combined record of 30-4 heading into the action.

Both of Tulsa's matches will stream on ESPN+. Fans unable to attend the action in person can subscribe to ESPN+ to watch select Golden Hurricane volleyball, soccer, football, tennis, soccer, softball and basketball games. ESPN+ is offered at $10.99/month or $109.99/year. To subscribe, go to plus.espn.com. Fans will be able to access ESPN+ content only after they have subscribed.

A second-round participant in the 2023 NCAA tournament, Kansas is undefeated to start the season at 7-0 with all wins coming in four sets or less. Last time out, the Jayhawks swept Lipscomb in Lawrence.

Friday will be the 28th meeting between Tulsa and Kansas and the first since 2012. The series dates back to Tulsa's inaugural season in 1976, and the Jayhawks lead 22-5 with wins in the last eight meetings. The Hurricane seeks its first victory over Kansas since 1989.

Kansas leads the nation in team hitting percentage (.346), led by outside hitter Ayah Elnady and setter Camryn Turner.

Purdue, a third-round NCAA tournament participant last year, is off to an 8-0 start, highlighted by a 3-1 victory over No. 10 Kentucky in a neutral site a week ago.

Tulsa and Purdue have only met once. The two squads faced each other in West Lafayette, Ind., in the 2018 Purdue Reamer Club Premier, resulting in a 3-0 win for the Boilermakers.

Purdue's Raven Colvin leads the nation with 2.04 blocks per set.

Senior libero Marta Pecalli is off to a strong defensive start for her final year with the Golden Hurricane. Through three weeks, Pecalli ranks 19th for total digs (174) and 36th for digs per set (4.70). She leads The American in total digs.

Also leading the conference is senior middle blocker Tytiana Johnson, who boasts 40 total blocks and ranks second in the league with a .424 hitting percentage and a 1.18 blocks-per-set average. Her hitting mark is the 23^rd-best in Division I.

As a team, Tulsa is 13th in the country for digs per set (17.46), 14th for digs (646), 20th for opponent hitting percentage (.144) and 34th for attacks (1,366). The Hurricane leads the AAC in all four benchmarks.

Tulsa Volleyball Faces Ranked Foes in Nonconference Finale

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Players Mentioned

Marta Pecalli