SAN ANTONIO - The Oklahoma City volleyball team will look to bounce back from last weekend with three more games in two days in the Volleyesta Tournament hosted by Our Lady of the Lake.

Friday, August 23
12 p.m. – Oklahoma City (0-3, 0-0 SAC) vs #3 Eastern Oregon (4-0, 0-0 Cascade)
Location: San Antonio, Texas | OLLU Mabee Gym
TV | Live Stats

Friday, August 23
7 p.m. – Oklahoma City (0-3, 0-0 SAC) at Our Lady of the Lake (1-3, 0-0 Red River)
Location: San Antonio, Texas | OLLU Mabee Gym
Saturday, August 24
12 p.m. – Oklahoma City (0-3, 0-0 SAC) vs Cumberland (TN.) (1-3, 0-0 Mid-South)
Location: San Antonio, Texas | OLLU Mabee Gym
TV | Live Stats

STARS OUTLOOK
Oklahoma City began its 2024 season last weekend in the Bulldog Bash facing two of three top 25 teams without its top player Ruby Kelley. Despite going without a win, Oklahoma City battled in each set and even had a chance to knot things up in the second set against Hastings having a set point chance before the Broncos came storming back to win 27-25. OCU dropped its next two matches to #17 College of Saint Mary and #4 Concordia but saw a plethora of youth get an opportunity to showcase their skills with four freshman getting court time including transfer Maddie Edwards. 

PLAYERS TO WATCH
Sophomore setter Natalie Adams did not miss a beat in the opening weekend having 13 assists in match one followed by 31 and 24 in the next two. Against Hastings, Adams came away with double-digit assists for the 28^th time in her career over a total of 28 games played. Adams tacked on seven digs and two kills on a .500 hitting percentage. Against #17 College of Saint Mary Adams amassed 30+ assists which she did 11 times a season ago with a game-high 31 while matching Friday's number of two aces. Finally to wrap up the weekend she finished with a game-high 24 assists against #4 Concordia which was the 27th time in her 30 game career where she surpassed 20 or more assists in a match.

Kaitlyn Dunlap came away with double-digit digs in two of the three matches played including a game-high 19 against College of Saint Mary. Dunlap was named the Sooner Athletic Conference Defender of the week after posting a weekend total of 37 digs on a .902 reception percentage. 

Two-time Sooner Athletic Conference member and NAIA all-American Rylee Steward is another Star to watch out for as Steward came away as the team leader with eight kills and two blocks on day one against Hastings. Steward followed up her performance against Concordia matching a team-high of eight kills and notched a season-best 4.0 total blocks which also tied a game-high. 

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS
Eastern Oregon rattled off four wins while dropping just two sets over the weekend earning victories over two top-15 teams including #5 Viterbo University. Keira Vaughn came away as the Mountaineers top hitter with 50 total kills including a weekend best against Viterbo with 17 on a .306 ATT%. Alexis McMurtrey totaled 90 assists over the four-game stand while having 20 or more assists in three of the four matches played. Eastern Oregon swept away the Cascade Conference Player of the Week honors with Vaughn being named attacker of the week, McMurtrey setter of the week and finally Kiauna Mack who was named defender of the week after having 21 total blocks, averaging 1.50 blocks per set. Mack had a six block and seven block performances against Viterbo University and Montana Western University while also adding 10 hits in each game.

SCOUTING THE SAINTS
Our Lady of the Lake started its season 1-3 with four games played in Montana in the Big Sky Volleyball Challenge. The Saints took Providence (MT) to the final set before falling 15-8 in their season-opening match to which they followed by being swept against Montana State-Northern. OLLU earned its first win of the season on Saturday by sweeping Life Pacific before going on to drop its final game 3-1 against Dakota Wesleyan. Camila Ramirez led the Saints in total kills with 48 over the weekend including a game-high 18 against Montana State-Northern. Our Lady of the Lake was selected to finish second in the Red River Athletic Conference and will open up the Volleyesta Tournament with Sooner Athletic Conference member Nelson University (previously SAGU).

SCOUTING THE PHOENIX
Cumberland found itself 1-3 after the opening weekend in the 2024 Phoenix Classic earning its lone win over Ave Marie in three sets. The Phoenix went on to suffer a pair of sweeps to William Carey University and Blue Mountain Christian University while also falling to Missouri Valley College in four sets. Hazel Konkel led Cumberland with 42 total kills over the weekend including her best of 17 in the three-set win over Ave Marie. Nicole Roeder and Emma Chavers each had over 50 assists over four games as Roeder led with a game-high 22 against Ave Marie while her counterpart Chavers tallied 18 in the same match. 

SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma City and Eastern Oregon have met just twice in the all-time series as the Mountaineers have taken both matches (3-0, 3-1) happening in 2016 and 2018.

OCU and OLLU have seen each five times with Oklahoma City winning the last two of three but it was the Saints who earned a sweep over the Stars last year to make the all-time series 3-2 in favor of Our Lady of the Lake.

Oklahoma City and Cumberland have squared off just once before coming in 2018 where Oklahoma City earned a 3-0 sweep.

FOLLOW THE STARS
Find all news, scores, highlights and updates on ocusports.com, Twitter (@ocustars), Instagram (@ocustars), Facebook (Oklahoma City University Stars) and Youtube (@ocustars). Catch every OCU home game and select away games on the SAC Sports Network.