MORAGA, Calif. — After returning back from their trip to Waco, Texas last weekend, the Gaels will once again be back in the Southwest region this week, as they head to Norman, Oklahoma to take on the Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners hail from the SEC, and will be representative of the third separate Power Four conference opponent, having already taken on foes from the Big Ten and Big 12.
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels at Oklahoma Sooners
Friday, September 12 at 4 PM PST
McCasland Field House – Norman, Oklahoma
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LIVE STATS
Saint Mary's Gaels at Oklahoma Sooners
Saturday, September 13 at 4 PM PST
McCasland Field House – Norman, Oklahoma
WATCH |
LIVE STATS
NEW NAMES TO KNOW AT THE PINS
This past weekend, the Gaels offense was led by a couple of new players for fans to get to know. Gracie Vohs, who appeared in just 27 sets all last season, made her impact felt with a team-high 16 kills for the weekend. After going without a kill in the opener, Vohs has since appeared in every match (16 of 18 total sets), with at least four kills in each of those matches. True freshman Mya Allen is also starting to turn it on. The San Antonio native averaged 2.33 kills per set over the weekend in her home state, albeit about 200 miles away from home, and now has 27 kills to lead all 10 of the Gael freshmen. While Vohs and Allen are the focus from this past week, there will be plenty of new names to learn all over the court, as the Gaels are tied for the most freshmen on a roster in all of collegiate Volleyball (10), and have 11 total newcomers including redshirts and transfers.
THE GAUNTLET CONTINUES
To say that Saint Mary's Volleyball has a difficult non-conference schedule would be quite the understatement. The Gaels will play every one of their non-conference matchups away from the friendly confines of UCU Pavilion, traveling approximately 10,870 miles to the likes of Grand Forks and Fargo, North Dakota, Waco, Texas, Norman, Oklahoma and San Luis Obispo, California. So far, the Gaels have gone 1-5 through the first two weeks of this gauntlet, but have tested themselves against some top talent in the country in preparation to try and make some noise in the West Coast Conference. Speaking about West Coast Conference play, the Gaels will also be on the road for their first weekend of conference play, heading to Corvallis and Portland before finally getting a chance to play in front of their home fans on October 2. In total, the Gaels will travel approximately 12,140 miles on the road before their home opener.
COACH'S CORNER
ABOUT THE SOONERS
Oklahoma enters the week with a 4-1 record, suffering their first loss of the season last week to in-state rival Tulsa at the Wooo Pig Invitational hosted by the University of Arkansas. Prior to their 1-1 weekend in Fayetteville, the Sooners were receiving national votes, but did not earn the same distinction going into this week, making them hungry to prove the voters wrong. Head Coach Aaron Mansfield is now in his third season in Norman, but is no stranger to the SMC program, having been the head coach at LMU from 2017 to 2022, having amassed a 9-3 career record against the Gaels. After going 11-17 in his first year at the helm of the Sooner program, Coach Mansfield righted the ship to the tune of a 15-11 season last year, guiding them to their first NCAA Tournament since 2019. With a 4-1 start this year, he looks to take his team even further this season. From last year's NCAA Tournament team, Oklahoma graduated four starters, including all conference pin hitter Kari Geissberger and middle blocker Lydia Martin, who both have continued their volleyball careers in the pro ranks. Back, however, is last year's kills leader Alexis Shelton, who also finished second on the team in blocks and digs, to lead a group of three returning starters. Coach Mansfield also went aggressively at the portal, bringing in All-Mountain West libero Dionii Fraga from Fresno State and All-Big Ten pin hitter Emoni Bush from Washington, both of whom have already made an impact early in their Oklahoma careers. This will be the Gaels first all-time meeting with Oklahoma, and their second meeting in as many seasons with an SEC foe, after taking Arkansas to five sets last season.
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