OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City gets back on the road this weekend, playing three matches at the Park University Pirate Invitational.
 
The Stars take on host Park at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and finishes the trip with Saturday contests against Bethel (Kan.) and 10 a.m. and St. Mary (Kan.) at 2 p.m.
 
OCU Notebook
Solid Start: Oklahoma City stands at 2-1 this season after its first trip of the season at the Halo Classic in San Antonio. OCU opened with a 3-0 win over host Our Lady of the Lake, dropped a 3-0 match to No. 24 William Carey and rallied for a 3-2 win over Embry-Riddle.
 
Off the Deck: The Stars are coming off a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Embry-Riddle. Down two sets to none, OCU won three consecutive sets to leave San Antonio with a winning record.
 
Kill Shots: Kaylie Marshall came out firing in her Stars debut, averaging 3.91 kills per set in the opening weekend. She had a 20-kill match in the win over Embry-Riddle. Grace Smallwood added 16 kills in that match and finished the weekend with 3.18 kills per set.
 
Entry Denied: Marina Kalajdzic, Kaylie Marshall and Maddie Edwards featured strong on the defensive front over the weekend, accounting for 15 blocks. Edwards led with six, followed by Kalajdzic with five and Marshall with four. Kalajdzic had four solos.
 
Distributor: After splitting time at setter last season, Natalie Adams responded well to being the star for the Stars. She averaged 9.55 assists in the three matches, including a 49-assist performance against Embry-Riddle.
 
Diggin' Deep: Grace Smallwood led the Stars with 3.27 digs per set last weekend. Freshman libero Katelyn Stephenson fared well also, averaging 2.55.
 
Aces: Ryan Leland served up a team-leading three aces over the weekend. She already has matched her aces total from last season.
 
Better to Receive: While OCU looks to improve on its 92.8 serve reception percentage as the season moves forward, Grace Smallwood has a respectable weekend in that category, coming up true on 77 of 79 attempts.
 
At Long Last: The Stars play three teams this weekend that they haven't met since 2019 or earlier. Oklahoma City enters the weekend looking for its first win over Park since 2008. The Pirates lead the series 4-1 and have won the last four matches. The teams haven't met since 2019. Bethel and OCU haven't squared off since 2013 and the Stars lead the series 3-0. USM last played the Stars in 2018 with OCU getting the sweep.
 
Scouting Park: Friday will be the season opener for the Pirates, who were 23-10 last season. All three of last season's top kill producers, as well as their digs and blocks leaders have moved on. Assists leader Julie Alvarez returns.
 
About Bethel: Bethel comes into the weekend at 3-1, including wins over SAC opponents Langston and Oklahoma Panhandle State. The Threshers are led by Cameron Offerle's 5.64 kills per set. Delaine Schutte averaged 11.29 assists per set and Abby Koontz paces the back row with 4.67 digs per set.
 
The Scoop on St. Mary: The Spires open the season this weekend after going 18-13 last season. Ainsley Gardner averaged 2.34 kills per set. The kills, digs, blocks and assists leaders from last year's team were all seniors.
 
Coach Kristen Coventon: Coach Coventon came into the season with 195 career coaching wins – 109 of those at Oklahoma City. She picked up her 100^th win of her Stars era at home against USAO on Sept. 28. Her win total now stands at 197 for her career and 111 at OCU.