Completed Event: Volleyball versus Washington on September 4, 2026 , Loss , 1, to, 3
Final
Volleyball
1
vs Washington
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Thursday, September 17
Bowling Green, KY
6 p.m.
University of Oklahoma
at
Western Kentucky
Photo by: Daem Campbell/University of Oklahoma
OU Heads to Bowling Green for Final Non-Conference Tests
September 17, 2026 | Volleyball
NORMAN – Oklahoma volleyball closes out non-conference play with a two-match trip to Bowling Green, Ky. for the WKU Invitational.
The Sooners (5-2) will face host Western Kentucky (5-5) Thursday at 6 p.m. before taking on East Tennessee State (2-7) Friday at 3 p.m. Thursday's match will stream on ESPN+.
SWEEP, SWEEP
Oklahoma enters the WKU Invitational riding back-to-back sweeps after taking down Abilene Christian and East Texas A&M at McCasland Field House. The Sooners hit .379 with 50 kills against ACU before following with a 42-kill performance against East Texas A&M. OU has now earned four of its five victories in straight sets this season, with its five-set win over Ohio State the lone exception.
YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Junior Mikala Young made an impact in Tuesday's sweep of East Texas A&M, leading all players with 17 kills on 38 attacks. The TCU transfer accounted for Oklahoma's final four points of the opening set, recording four consecutive kills to turn a 22-21 deficit into a 25-22 victory. The performance marked Young's first career double-digit kill outing and more than doubled her previous career high of eight kills, set at TCU.
1K AND COUNTING
Sophomore setter Avaya Maga surpassed 1,000 career assists in Oklahoma's sweep of Abilene Christian on Sunday. After dishing out 750 assists during her freshman campaign, Maga has continued to direct the Sooner offense in 2026 and enters the weekend with 286 assists this season. Her 11.44 assists per set rank third among SEC setters, while Oklahoma ranks third in the conference as a team with 13.20 assists per set.
EFFICIENCY ON DISPLAY
Senior middle blocker Elise Hani put together a stretch of 35 consecutive kills without an attack error over four matches against Washington, Georgia Tech, Abilene Christian and East Texas A&M. She highlighted the run with 13 kills on 21 errorless swings at RV Georgia Tech, hitting .619 in the four-set match. Through seven matches, Hani is hitting .449 with 53 kills and just nine errors on 98 attacks, a mark that ranks fifth among SEC players.
AMONG THE SEC'S BEST
Oklahoma's offense has ranked among the SEC's most productive through the opening weeks of the season. The Sooners enter the weekend ranked third in the conference with 13.20 assists per set, fourth with 14.36 kills per set and sixth with a .290 hitting percentage. OU's 75 kills and 71 assists in its five-set victory over Ohio State remain the highest single-match totals by an SEC team in both categories this season.
THE OPPOSITION
WESTERN KENTUCKY: The Hilltoppers enter Thursday's matchup at 5-5 after falling in straight sets to No. 3 Louisville Wednesday night at E.A. Diddle Arena. WKU picked up victories over Pepperdine and James Madison last weekend before closing the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic with a loss to Eastern Kentucky. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 27-6 campaign in 2025 in which they went 15-1 in Conference USA play and captured both the CUSA regular-season and tournament championships. Thursday will mark the first meeting between Oklahoma and Western Kentucky.
EAST TENNESSEE STATE: The Buccaneers enter Friday's matchup at 2-7 but are coming off their biggest victory of the season, defeating South Carolina in five sets Tuesday night for their first win over an SEC opponent since 2018. ETSU also earned a five-set victory over East Carolina last weekend after opening the season 0-6. Reigning SoCon Player of the Year Makayla Bays leads the Buccaneer attack, while Gianna Blair has been a presence at the net after entering the week ranked second in the conference in total blocks. Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between Oklahoma and East Tennessee State.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Oklahoma will continue a stretch of first-time opponents this weekend in Bowling Green. After facing East Texas A&M for the first time in program history Tuesday, the Sooners will meet both Western Kentucky and East Tennessee State for the first time Thursday and Friday, respectively.
SEC ON THE HORIZON
With two non-conference matches remaining, Oklahoma is nearing the start of its third season of SEC play. Five SEC programs appear in the latest AVCA Top 25, led by No. 4 Kentucky, while No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Florida, No. 15 Texas A&M and No. 16 Tennessee are also ranked. Vanderbilt is receiving votes and remains the league's lone unbeaten team at 7-0. Eleven SEC teams have won at least two-thirds of their matches entering the final stretch of non-conference play. Oklahoma opens its 15-match conference slate at home against No. 10 Florida on Sunday, Sept. 27.
The Sooners (5-2) will face host Western Kentucky (5-5) Thursday at 6 p.m. before taking on East Tennessee State (2-7) Friday at 3 p.m. Thursday's match will stream on ESPN+.
SWEEP, SWEEP
Oklahoma enters the WKU Invitational riding back-to-back sweeps after taking down Abilene Christian and East Texas A&M at McCasland Field House. The Sooners hit .379 with 50 kills against ACU before following with a 42-kill performance against East Texas A&M. OU has now earned four of its five victories in straight sets this season, with its five-set win over Ohio State the lone exception.
YOUNG AND RESTLESS
Junior Mikala Young made an impact in Tuesday's sweep of East Texas A&M, leading all players with 17 kills on 38 attacks. The TCU transfer accounted for Oklahoma's final four points of the opening set, recording four consecutive kills to turn a 22-21 deficit into a 25-22 victory. The performance marked Young's first career double-digit kill outing and more than doubled her previous career high of eight kills, set at TCU.
1K AND COUNTING
Sophomore setter Avaya Maga surpassed 1,000 career assists in Oklahoma's sweep of Abilene Christian on Sunday. After dishing out 750 assists during her freshman campaign, Maga has continued to direct the Sooner offense in 2026 and enters the weekend with 286 assists this season. Her 11.44 assists per set rank third among SEC setters, while Oklahoma ranks third in the conference as a team with 13.20 assists per set.
EFFICIENCY ON DISPLAY
Senior middle blocker Elise Hani put together a stretch of 35 consecutive kills without an attack error over four matches against Washington, Georgia Tech, Abilene Christian and East Texas A&M. She highlighted the run with 13 kills on 21 errorless swings at RV Georgia Tech, hitting .619 in the four-set match. Through seven matches, Hani is hitting .449 with 53 kills and just nine errors on 98 attacks, a mark that ranks fifth among SEC players.
AMONG THE SEC'S BEST
Oklahoma's offense has ranked among the SEC's most productive through the opening weeks of the season. The Sooners enter the weekend ranked third in the conference with 13.20 assists per set, fourth with 14.36 kills per set and sixth with a .290 hitting percentage. OU's 75 kills and 71 assists in its five-set victory over Ohio State remain the highest single-match totals by an SEC team in both categories this season.
THE OPPOSITION
WESTERN KENTUCKY: The Hilltoppers enter Thursday's matchup at 5-5 after falling in straight sets to No. 3 Louisville Wednesday night at E.A. Diddle Arena. WKU picked up victories over Pepperdine and James Madison last weekend before closing the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic with a loss to Eastern Kentucky. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 27-6 campaign in 2025 in which they went 15-1 in Conference USA play and captured both the CUSA regular-season and tournament championships. Thursday will mark the first meeting between Oklahoma and Western Kentucky.
EAST TENNESSEE STATE: The Buccaneers enter Friday's matchup at 2-7 but are coming off their biggest victory of the season, defeating South Carolina in five sets Tuesday night for their first win over an SEC opponent since 2018. ETSU also earned a five-set victory over East Carolina last weekend after opening the season 0-6. Reigning SoCon Player of the Year Makayla Bays leads the Buccaneer attack, while Gianna Blair has been a presence at the net after entering the week ranked second in the conference in total blocks. Friday's matchup will be the first meeting between Oklahoma and East Tennessee State.
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Oklahoma will continue a stretch of first-time opponents this weekend in Bowling Green. After facing East Texas A&M for the first time in program history Tuesday, the Sooners will meet both Western Kentucky and East Tennessee State for the first time Thursday and Friday, respectively.
SEC ON THE HORIZON
With two non-conference matches remaining, Oklahoma is nearing the start of its third season of SEC play. Five SEC programs appear in the latest AVCA Top 25, led by No. 4 Kentucky, while No. 7 Texas, No. 10 Florida, No. 15 Texas A&M and No. 16 Tennessee are also ranked. Vanderbilt is receiving votes and remains the league's lone unbeaten team at 7-0. Eleven SEC teams have won at least two-thirds of their matches entering the final stretch of non-conference play. Oklahoma opens its 15-match conference slate at home against No. 10 Florida on Sunday, Sept. 27.
Players Mentioned
Thursday, September 17
Tuesday, September 15
Sunday, September 13
Thursday, September 03
