Golden Hurricane Defeat Charlotte in Straight Sets

Friday, November 7

Tulsa, Okla.

6:00 p.m.

Tulsa

19-6,9-4American

Charlotte

15-10,6-7American

Charlotte

Tulsa

Photo by: Alina Lebedeva

Golden Hurricane Defeat Charlotte in Straight Sets

11/7/2025 8:35:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa (19-6, 9-4 American) swept Charlotte (15-10, 6-7 American) in straight sets, 25-20, 25-16, 26-24, Tuesday night in the Donald W. Reynolds Center.

The Golden Hurricane played a balanced game with a .307 hitting percentage on offense, fueled by 48 kills and just 13 errors across the match, while landing eight team blocks on defense.

The match commenced with Tulsa's Kat Cooper scoring the initial point with a kill set up by Brayden Hipp. The 49ers quickly responded, taking an early lead at 4-2, capitalizing on a series of attack errors by Tulsa's Maegan Mills. Despite Charlotte's momentum, the Golden Hurricane tied the score at 11-11 following a kill by Cooper and a block by Maegan Mills and Jill Hanson. As the set progressed, Tulsa gained a slight edge, extending their lead to 19-17, aided by attack errors from Charlotte's Jaylen Jordan. Tulsa maintained their advantage, with Olivia Vance and Jill Hanson contributing key kills, securing the set at 25-20 with Hanson's final point.

Tulsa secured a convincing 25-16 victory in the second set against the 49ers, thanks to a balanced offensive attack. The set saw the Hurricane capitalize on multiple errors from Charlotte, including a key block by Lauren Eitler and Hanson that contributed to leveling the score at 3-3. Cooper led the charge with several crucial kills, notably extending Tulsa's lead with points at 15-13 and 17-14. Hipp also played a vital role, assisting multiple kills and delivering a service ace to push the lead to 19-15. Mills contributed efficiently, with her kill concluding the set at 25-16 following an error by Kristen Birmingham.

In a closely contested third set, Tulsa edged out Charlotte 26-24. Mills made a strong impact early, securing three consecutive points for the Hurricane with kills assisted by Hipp, setting the score at 3-0. Birmingham responded for the 49ers, contributing to a series of exchanges that kept the scoreline tight. At one point, Tulsa was down 24-22 and was staring at a third-set loss before Hanson and Eitler landed clutch kills to knot up the score. With the score tied at 24-24, Tulsa capitalized on attack errors by Maddie Stuesser and Jessica Ricks to clinch the set victory. This back-and-forth battle highlighted the competitive nature of the matchup as the Golden Hurricane leveraged key plays to secure the set.

Tulsa's next match will take place at home against East Carolina on Sunday, November 9, at 1 p.m.

Tulsa's Top Performers
Kat Cooper
----------------------
- 11 kills on 14 attempts with a .786 hitting percentage
- 1 block assist
- 11.5 points

Brayden Hipp
----------------------
- 35 assists
- 4 kills on 7 attempts with a .571 hitting percentage
- 3 total blocks

Jill Hanson
----------------------
- 6 kills on 13 attempts with a .385 hitting percentage
- 7 total blocks
- 9.5 points

Maegan Mills
----------------------
- 16 kills on 37 attempts with a .297 hitting percentage
- 8 digs
- 19.5 points

Charlotte's Top Performers
Maddie Stuesser
----------------------
- 33 assists
- 3 block assists
- 4.5 points

Jessica Ricks
----------------------
- 14 kills
- 8 digs
- 14.0 points

Kristen Birmingham
----------------------
- 13 kills
- 8 digs
- 13.5 points

Game Notes
- Tulsa remains undefeated against Charlotte, moving to 4-0 all-time against the 49ers.
- The Golden Hurricane's win improves them to 8-1 in the Reynolds Center this season.
- Tulsa has now won 19 of their last 23 matches this season, and have emerged victorious in 22 of their last 30 outings dating back to the end of last year.
- Kat Cooper landed 11 kills on 14 attacks with no errors to finish with a .786 hitting percentage. That's the 6th-best hitting mark ever recorded by a Golden Hurricane.
- Mills led TU with 16 kills - her third time leading the team in kills as a true freshman.
- Hipp averaged 11.67 assists en route to 35 assists on the night.
- Tulsa out-blocked Charlotte 8-4. All of Tulsa's blocks resulted from 16 block assists, with Hanson producing seven of them to lead the way.
- The third and final set featured 15 tie scores and four lead changes.
- Tulsa rattled off four straight points to end the third set, erasing a 24-22 deficit.

2025 TICKETS
Single-game tickets are now on sale for $13 per ticket per match for ages 4 and older and can be purchased in advance at TulsaHurricane.com or at the entrance. Season tickets also start at just $50. Season ticket members will receive 1 (one) membership card per ticket that they order that will be good for all 2025 TU Volleyball regular-season home matches in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. No refunds for canceled games due to weather-related or any other cause. CLICK HERE to start the process of ordering tickets or call 918-631-4688.

Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.