Tulsa Volleyball Wins Season Opener

The University of Tulsa volleyball team won its season opener against Tennessee-Chattanooga, 3-1 (25-19, 24-26, 25-14, 25-22), as Erica Bohannon's double-double consisting of a match-high 16 kills and 13 digs, and Brooke Berryhill's team-high 30 digs led the way for TU.

Senior setter Bailey Clampitt finished with a team-high 33 assists to go along with 13 digs, while senior outside hitter Valerie El Houssine finished the match with 11 kills and 11 digs.

Freshman Audrey Grant played well in her first collegiate match, providing the Hurricane with 10 kills, a .364 hitting percentage and seven block assists. Junior Ashley Hooper led all players with nine block assists on the night, while also recording six kills.

TU picked up 13 team blocks in Friday's win, the most blocks in a single match since Nov. 1, 2012 against Tulane.

With the four set victory, first-year TU Head Coach Ryan Wills earns his first-ever collegiate win as a head coach. It was also the program's 600th win overall.

“I feel good about the way we played, we played consistent enough to win the match,” said Wills. “We recovered well and had the maturity to bounce back after losing the second set that we were in control of. We played hard and stayed together and it feels good to get that first win.”

The deciding fourth set saw 16 ties and 17 lead changes in the match's most competitive frame. With the set knotted at 22-22, Bohannon put TU up one with her 16th kill of the match. Chattanooga then committed two-straight attack errors to give Tulsa the 25-22 match-clinching win and handing the Mocs their first loss of the season.

After Grant's first two kills of the season gave the Hurricane an early 2-1 lead in the first set, TU (1-0) was able to jump out to a 10-5 lead thanks to a 4-0 run off of three Chattanooga errors. The Mocs (0-1) cut the deficit to 13-12, but their error-filled first set proved to be costly as the Hurrciane won the opening set 25-19.

The Mocs jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead in the second set. TU was able to cut the deficit to 8-7, tallying three-straight points. Later in the set, Chattanooga ran off five consecutive points, giving them a 16-11 lead. On Bailey Clampitt's serve, TU poured on ten-straight points, gaining the 21-16 lead. TU forced set point with a 24-20 lead, but the Mocs forced six-straight Hurricane attack errors to even up the match heading into the third.

Tulsa stayed composed entering the third set of the match, jumping out to a 9-3 lead, thanks to a 5-1 run led by Bohannon's three kills. The team did not look back taking the third set, convincingly, 25-14.

The Hurricane concludes the tournament tomorrow, with a 10 a.m. match against Houston Baptist, followed by a showdown with Northern Arizona at 5 p.m.