Completed Event: Volleyball at Georgia on October 4, 2026 , Loss , 1, to, 3
Final
Volleyball
1
at Georgia
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Friday, October 23
Starkville, MS
5 p.m.
University of Oklahoma
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Mississippi State
Photo by: Sutton Spinner/University of Oklahoma
October 22, 2026 | Volleyball
NORMAN - Following a four-match stretch against nationally ranked opponents, Oklahoma volleyball hits the road for a pair of Southeastern Conference matchups this weekend, traveling to Mississippi State on Friday, Oct. 23, before facing Alabama on Sunday, Oct. 25.
The Sooners (10-6, 3-4 SEC) will face the Bulldogs (13-5, 3-4 SEC) at 5 p.m. CT Friday in Starkville, Miss., before taking on the Crimson Tide (9-8, 1-7 SEC) at 2 p.m. CT Sunday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Both matches will stream on SEC Network+.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Oklahoma begins a six-match road stretch this weekend after facing four consecutive ranked opponents at McCasland Field House. The Sooners went 2-2 during that stretch, earning back-to-back top-15 victories over No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 9 Texas before falling to No. 4 Kentucky and No. 9 Tennessee. OU opens its road swing Friday at Mississippi State before traveling to Alabama on Sunday.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Oklahoma ranks among the nation's top 25 in three offensive categories, sitting 12th in assists per set (13.10), 19th in kills per set (13.97) and 23rd in hitting percentage (.268). The Sooners rank fourth in the SEC in assists and kills per set and fifth in hitting percentage.
POSTSEASON ON THE HORIZON
Oklahoma sits at No. 32 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, seventh among SEC programs. The Sooners are one of nine SEC teams ranked in the top 40, joining Florida (3), Kentucky (4), Vanderbilt (9), Texas (14), Tennessee (18), Georgia (31), Missouri (38) and Texas A&M (39).
RUNNING THE SHOW
Sophomore setter Avaya Maga ranks second nationally with 11.56 assists per set, totaling 705 assists through 16 matches. Maga has already surpassed her assist total from last season (750) in per-set production, improving from 7.08 assists per set in 2025 to 11.56 this season. She also recorded a career-high four blocks against No. 4 Kentucky on Friday.
SIX STRAIGHT
Sophomore pin hitter Tekoa Barnes has recorded double-digit kills in six consecutive matches, averaging 14.5 kills per match during that stretch. Barnes has reached double figures in 11 of her 13 appearances this season and leads Oklahoma with 3.69 kills and 4.28 points per set. After averaging 1.05 kills per set in 2025, Barnes has more than tripled her offensive production this season.
EFFICIENCY IN THE MIDDLE
Middle blockers Carley Butler and Elise Hani rank among the SEC's top eight in hitting percentage. Butler ranks fourth in the conference and 31st nationally with a .398 hitting percentage, while Hani is eighth in the SEC and 69th nationally at .364. Butler has recorded 117 kills this season after totaling 19 in 2025, while Hani has 99 kills and a team-high 41 blocks, including nine solo blocks.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Defensive specialists McKenna Brand and Kinsley Singleton are approaching 1,000 career digs. Brand has totaled 987 digs and needs just 13 to reach the milestone, while Singleton has recorded 921 career digs and sits 79 away. Brand collected 905 digs in two seasons at UConn before transferring to Oklahoma, while Singleton totaled 791 digs in two seasons at Nevada.
DIGGING IN
Aniya Warren has recorded double-digit digs in 10 of her 14 appearances this season, including five consecutive matches. She has totaled 155 digs, averaging 2.92 per set, and leads the Sooners in both categories. Warren recorded 14 digs against Kentucky and 11 against Tennessee last weekend.
LEADING THE ATTACK
Sophomore pin hitter Alaleh Tolliver leads Oklahoma with 191 total kills this season, averaging 3.18 per set. Tolliver has recorded double-digit kills in nine matches, including three performances with at least 20 kills. She posted a career-high 26 against ETSU and added 20 kills against both Ohio State and South Carolina.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Sophomore pin hitter Alyssa Flack was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Oct. 13 following Oklahoma's victories over No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 9 Texas. Flack averaged 4.25 kills per set during the two matches, recording 15 kills against the Aggies and a career-high 19 against the Longhorns. She also earned SEC Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week honors.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State enters Friday's matchup at 13-5 overall and 3-4 in SEC play, ranking No. 67 in the latest RPI. The Bulldogs have earned conference victories over LSU, Georgia and South Carolina, including consecutive sweeps of Georgia and South Carolina. Mississippi State leads the SEC with 15.52 digs per set and ranks fourth in service aces per set (1.70). The Bulldogs are 5-0 at home this season.
BULLDOGS TO WATCH
Mississippi State's Lindsey Mangelson leads the Bulldogs with 3.75 kills and 4.36 points per set, ranking ninth in the SEC in both categories. Mangelson also ranks fifth in the conference with 11.20 attacks per set and ninth with 0.39 service aces per set. Setter Cayley Hanson averages 9.28 assists and 0.47 aces per set, ranking third in the SEC in the latter category. Defensively, McKenna Yates ranks third in the conference with 4.36 digs per set, while Noella Obi is fifth in hitting percentage (.386) and eighth in blocks per set (1.17).
SERIES HISTORY – MISSISSIPPI STATE
Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Mississippi State 4-2 and has won both meetings since joining the SEC. The Sooners earned a four-set victory in Starkville in 2024 before sweeping the Bulldogs in Norman last season. Friday marks Oklahoma's second-ever trip to Starkville.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama enters the week at 9-8 overall and 1-7 in SEC play. The Crimson Tide have dropped three consecutive matches following their lone conference victory against South Carolina on Oct. 9. Alabama ranks second in the SEC and 25th nationally with 1.91 service aces per set, totaling 124 aces this season. The Crimson Tide will host Arkansas on Friday before welcoming Oklahoma on Sunday.
SERVING UP POINTS
Alabama ranks second in the SEC and 25th nationally with 1.91 service aces per set. Hannah Parant ranks second with 0.48 per set, while Leilia Toailoa checks in at seventh with 0.41 aces per set.
SERIES HISTORY – ALABAMA
Oklahoma holds a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series with Alabama and has won four consecutive meetings dating back to 2007. Three of those victories have come in three sets in Norman, while the Sooners earned a four-set victory in Palo Alto, Calif., in 2013. Sunday's contest marks Oklahoma's first trip to Tuscaloosa since 2005.
The Sooners (10-6, 3-4 SEC) will face the Bulldogs (13-5, 3-4 SEC) at 5 p.m. CT Friday in Starkville, Miss., before taking on the Crimson Tide (9-8, 1-7 SEC) at 2 p.m. CT Sunday in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Both matches will stream on SEC Network+.
THE NEXT CHAPTER
Oklahoma begins a six-match road stretch this weekend after facing four consecutive ranked opponents at McCasland Field House. The Sooners went 2-2 during that stretch, earning back-to-back top-15 victories over No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 9 Texas before falling to No. 4 Kentucky and No. 9 Tennessee. OU opens its road swing Friday at Mississippi State before traveling to Alabama on Sunday.
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
Oklahoma ranks among the nation's top 25 in three offensive categories, sitting 12th in assists per set (13.10), 19th in kills per set (13.97) and 23rd in hitting percentage (.268). The Sooners rank fourth in the SEC in assists and kills per set and fifth in hitting percentage.
POSTSEASON ON THE HORIZON
Oklahoma sits at No. 32 in the latest NCAA RPI rankings, seventh among SEC programs. The Sooners are one of nine SEC teams ranked in the top 40, joining Florida (3), Kentucky (4), Vanderbilt (9), Texas (14), Tennessee (18), Georgia (31), Missouri (38) and Texas A&M (39).
RUNNING THE SHOW
Sophomore setter Avaya Maga ranks second nationally with 11.56 assists per set, totaling 705 assists through 16 matches. Maga has already surpassed her assist total from last season (750) in per-set production, improving from 7.08 assists per set in 2025 to 11.56 this season. She also recorded a career-high four blocks against No. 4 Kentucky on Friday.
SIX STRAIGHT
Sophomore pin hitter Tekoa Barnes has recorded double-digit kills in six consecutive matches, averaging 14.5 kills per match during that stretch. Barnes has reached double figures in 11 of her 13 appearances this season and leads Oklahoma with 3.69 kills and 4.28 points per set. After averaging 1.05 kills per set in 2025, Barnes has more than tripled her offensive production this season.
EFFICIENCY IN THE MIDDLE
Middle blockers Carley Butler and Elise Hani rank among the SEC's top eight in hitting percentage. Butler ranks fourth in the conference and 31st nationally with a .398 hitting percentage, while Hani is eighth in the SEC and 69th nationally at .364. Butler has recorded 117 kills this season after totaling 19 in 2025, while Hani has 99 kills and a team-high 41 blocks, including nine solo blocks.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Defensive specialists McKenna Brand and Kinsley Singleton are approaching 1,000 career digs. Brand has totaled 987 digs and needs just 13 to reach the milestone, while Singleton has recorded 921 career digs and sits 79 away. Brand collected 905 digs in two seasons at UConn before transferring to Oklahoma, while Singleton totaled 791 digs in two seasons at Nevada.
DIGGING IN
Aniya Warren has recorded double-digit digs in 10 of her 14 appearances this season, including five consecutive matches. She has totaled 155 digs, averaging 2.92 per set, and leads the Sooners in both categories. Warren recorded 14 digs against Kentucky and 11 against Tennessee last weekend.
LEADING THE ATTACK
Sophomore pin hitter Alaleh Tolliver leads Oklahoma with 191 total kills this season, averaging 3.18 per set. Tolliver has recorded double-digit kills in nine matches, including three performances with at least 20 kills. She posted a career-high 26 against ETSU and added 20 kills against both Ohio State and South Carolina.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Sophomore pin hitter Alyssa Flack was named the AVCA Division I National Player of the Week on Oct. 13 following Oklahoma's victories over No. 12 Texas A&M and No. 9 Texas. Flack averaged 4.25 kills per set during the two matches, recording 15 kills against the Aggies and a career-high 19 against the Longhorns. She also earned SEC Player of the Week and Offensive Player of the Week honors.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
Mississippi State enters Friday's matchup at 13-5 overall and 3-4 in SEC play, ranking No. 67 in the latest RPI. The Bulldogs have earned conference victories over LSU, Georgia and South Carolina, including consecutive sweeps of Georgia and South Carolina. Mississippi State leads the SEC with 15.52 digs per set and ranks fourth in service aces per set (1.70). The Bulldogs are 5-0 at home this season.
BULLDOGS TO WATCH
Mississippi State's Lindsey Mangelson leads the Bulldogs with 3.75 kills and 4.36 points per set, ranking ninth in the SEC in both categories. Mangelson also ranks fifth in the conference with 11.20 attacks per set and ninth with 0.39 service aces per set. Setter Cayley Hanson averages 9.28 assists and 0.47 aces per set, ranking third in the SEC in the latter category. Defensively, McKenna Yates ranks third in the conference with 4.36 digs per set, while Noella Obi is fifth in hitting percentage (.386) and eighth in blocks per set (1.17).
SERIES HISTORY – MISSISSIPPI STATE
Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Mississippi State 4-2 and has won both meetings since joining the SEC. The Sooners earned a four-set victory in Starkville in 2024 before sweeping the Bulldogs in Norman last season. Friday marks Oklahoma's second-ever trip to Starkville.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama enters the week at 9-8 overall and 1-7 in SEC play. The Crimson Tide have dropped three consecutive matches following their lone conference victory against South Carolina on Oct. 9. Alabama ranks second in the SEC and 25th nationally with 1.91 service aces per set, totaling 124 aces this season. The Crimson Tide will host Arkansas on Friday before welcoming Oklahoma on Sunday.
SERVING UP POINTS
Alabama ranks second in the SEC and 25th nationally with 1.91 service aces per set. Hannah Parant ranks second with 0.48 per set, while Leilia Toailoa checks in at seventh with 0.41 aces per set.
SERIES HISTORY – ALABAMA
Oklahoma holds a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series with Alabama and has won four consecutive meetings dating back to 2007. Three of those victories have come in three sets in Norman, while the Sooners earned a four-set victory in Palo Alto, Calif., in 2013. Sunday's contest marks Oklahoma's first trip to Tuscaloosa since 2005.
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Players Mentioned
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/ VolleyballSunday, October 11
Wednesday, October 07
Friday, October 02
Thursday, September 17
