Sports editor Jaralynn Tammi Morellano says Tulsa only lost a single set in the competition.
The University of Tulsa’s women’s volleyball team met with Bethune-Cookman, Sam Houston, and Oral Roberts University this weekend during the two-day ORU Classic at the Mabee Center in South Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane dominated the competition and left with an updated, overall season record of 6-1.
Its first match took place on Friday against Bethune-Cookman, where the Golden Hurricane took three sets without the Wildcats taking any in return. Bethune-Cookman did not go down without a fight, its highest scoring set against Tulsa reaching 17 points for the Wildcats. It posed no match against Tulsa’s iron clad frontline. Senior middle blocker Rachel Brown and junior outside hitter Lauren Eitler of the Golden Hurricane both earned seven kills during the match. The balls that were dug up by the Wildcats did not ensure its safety as junior middle blocker Arianna Mongare kept Tulsa’s net on lock down, Mongare participating in six of the eight shutdowns the Golden Hurricane served up. Tulsa’s performance led it to a 3-0 victory over the Wildcats (25-16,25-20,25-17).
Later in the evening, the Golden Hurricane left more opponents in the dust as it continued to overtake its opponents in its match against Sam Houston. This victory was not as smooth as the first, Tulsa losing its footing against the Bearkats in the first set.
“Against Sam Houston, they like to play the long game and show a lot of defense, and we kept them out of system, I thought. We scouted them well ahead of today,” said senior libero Marta Pecalli. “We played a little disconnected in the first set. In the second set, we allowed ourselves to reset and pass the ball better than them from there on.”
Pecalli completed this match with 22 digs, which played an essential role in keeping the Golden Hurricane in its path towards victory.
The first set was painstakingly close, ending 25-23. Both teams were almost even in stats as the Golden Hurricane had 15 kills and Sam Houston took 16 kills. The Bearkats were able to edge the last two points with its two aces.
In the second set, Pecalli was a key piece to Tulsa’s defense with 12 digs. Her impeccable skill kept Sam Houston at bay to keep Tulsa on top, allowing it to take the second set 25-20.
Following this set, the Golden Hurricane got into its own groove and took set after set to take the match 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-21).
Its final match was against this classic’s host, Oral Roberts University, on Saturday. After Friday’s performance, it seemed nothing could get in the way of the Golden Hurricane as it swept through the Golden Eagles. Another star shined in this match, graduate outside hitter Tatum Tornatta securing 11 kills with the assistance of setters Brayden Hipp and Brittany Bacorn. Tulsa setters clocked in overtime, Hipp also contributing 16 digs to the match. With these players’ collective efforts, Tulsa’s golden hue shined brighter, and it took the match in a sweeping 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-15).
The Golden Hurricane will now return to homecourt and prepare to host the Tulsa Volleyball invitational on Thursday, Sept. 12. It will be hosting the University of Arkansas, Oklahoma University, and Stephen F. Austin State University.
