Vanderbilt Volleyball (4-8) returned from a two-game road trip to take on the Oklahoma Sooners (10-3) in its conference home opener. Reeling from back-to-back losses to Texas and Texas A&M, the Commodores lost a third match in a row, losing to the Sooners in four sets.
Set 1
The game started with pace, the teams trading points to begin. Oklahoma burst forward with two early points, but Vanderbilt responded with Reese Animashaun rising for a quick kill, followed by a Sooners’ attack error by Alexis Shelton. While the Commodores lacked size in comparison to Oklahoma, they kept up, matching every Sooners’ point with one of their own.
With the score knotted at eight apiece, Kamille Gibson got a great assist from Harper Hall for a kill. Vanderbilt came back with a fantastic defensive effort on the next serve, Isabella Bareford finding a kill of her own. The Sooners went back two points up on the back of an Emoni Bush kill and a blistering ace from Gibson.
Again, Vanderbilt refused to lag behind. After Oklahoma pushed itself two points ahead, 13-11, Jackie Moore stood tall, rejecting Shelton at the net for a solo block to earn a point for Vanderbilt. Immediately, Vanderbilt took charge, Bareford setting up Kamryn Chaney after her serve was returned for an efficient spike that Dionii Fraga couldn’t get her hands under. The game returned to a point-for-point flow, the first media timeout coming with Oklahoma ahead 15-14.
Oklahoma was keen to pressure Vanderbilt, logging a quick kill that the Commodores reacted slowly to before Tekoa Barnes unleashed a hard-hit serve for an ace that Hailee Mack fell short of returning. Chaney broke the 3-point run for the Sooners with a crafty chip that slid right over a wall of defenders, bringing the Commodores back within two.
Although Vanderbilt pulled ahead 20-18 after a string of kills, Oklahoma roared back, winning three of the next four points to tie it up at 21. Ultimately, the Sooners couldn’t get out of their own way, two errors and a kill from Chaney sealing the first set for the Commodores.
Set 2
The second set started harshly for Vanderbilt, the Commodores falling behind after four straight attack errors and an ace from Bush made it 5-1. The Sooners looked much more efficient in this second set of play, answering their errors with stout defensive play that translated into easy points.
Vanderbilt, similar to the first set, was forced to play from behind. It was able to squeeze out points through Oklahoma mistakes, yet the Commodores seemed a bit overwhelmed by the pressure at the net. Gibson and Bush again secured kills, an error by Chaney pushing Oklahoma’s lead to 11-6. The two sides again exchanged a plethora of points, a kill from Animashaun being answered by a kill from Bush that was eventually upended by an attack error against Barnes. Kayla Dunlap secured two kills, one of which was assisted by Bareford, with Bush earning a kill of her own between those points. Then, after a Mack error on a serve, Oklahoma committed a serving error and two attack errors of their own, a joint block by Mia Soerensen and Moore forcing a Sooner timeout.
After the timeout, neither side seemed to garner any momentum. Oklahoma took a slight edge due to its ability to secure aces and win at the point of attack above the net. This caused Vanderbilt to have to play defensively, allowing the Sooners to take a commanding 20-17 lead after winning four out of the last five points. Oklahoma ran away with the second set in dominating fashion, a kill by KJ Burgess capping off a 5-1 point run for the Sooners.
Set 3
Oklahoma and Vanderbilt split the first six points of the set, an ace from Barnes that bounced out of bounds off of Mack’s arms, giving the Sooners a 4-3 lead. After a serve and return off a dig, Bush linked up with Shelton for a kill that bounced off a Commodore’s hand. The Sooners would pile on two more points with haste, an attack error by Animashaun and another Barnes ace extending their advantage.
Finally, after dropping another point, Animashaun delivered a well-placed ball to an empty spot on the right side of the Sooners’ defense. Sorensen followed suit, getting a ball to drop right behind Oklahoma’s three blockers to cut the lead to 8-5. Once more, Vanderbilt proved to be relentless, winning six of the next ten to make it a one-point game. After a quick exchange following a Bareford serve, Shelton managed to smack a ball that deflected off the Commodores’ blockers onto their end, pushing Oklahoma back ahead by two. Oklahoma’s eighth and ninth ace, both by Whitney Wallace, and a kill from Shelton force Vanderbilt to take a timeout, now trailing 16-11.
Oklahoma continued to establish its dominance, stacking up Commodore errors alongside its own quality, hard-hitting attack. Vanderbilt eventually was able to string together some points; a short run being capped off by the Bareford-Animashaun connection to cut the margin to four.
Vanderbilt, at long last, cut the lead to one. After a serve from Animashaun, Oklahoma managed a dig and return, only for Sydney Conley to set up Dunlap to sneak a brilliant knuckleball over the net to make the score 21-20. Gibson, keen to keep her team ahead, secured a quick kill coming out of a Sooners’ timeout. But, after digging into a serve, Bareford set up Chaney for her 31st assist and Chaney’s 12th kill of the game.
Following another exchange of points, Shelton rose over three Commodores to spike the ball untouched. The next point earned Oklahoma its second set win, 25-23, as Shelton once again dealt with explosive force.
Set 4
To start the fourth set, Shelton notched a single kill in the face of three Vanderbilt kills, a service error by Animashaun, making it 3-2. Kenadie Patterson and Moore swapped kills, an emphatic spike from Shelton equalizing the set at 4-4. The next four points ended up split between the teams, Vanderbilt showing more consistency compared to the prior set, especially.
Dunlap and Animashaun combined for the next two Vanderbilt points, interjected by a kill for Bush and another ace for Gibson that was received haphazardly by Animashaun. A serving error by Gibson gave Vanderbilt a short-lived lead as Bush returned a Commodore serve for an Oklahoma point. However, Bareford, putting on another stellar setter performance, helped set up back-to-back kills for Dunlap and Chaney. Elli Kinney capped off the Vanderbilt run with an ace, giving the Commodores a 12-9 lead.
Shelton emerged from the media timeout with another kill, Moore responding with two of her own. A joint block by Barnes, Shelton and Patterson forced a Chaney attack error, giving possession back to Oklahoma. The Sooners capitalized, winning two more points on a Shelton kill and an error by Bareford.
The teams again exchanged a flurry of points; the set was tied at 17-17 after a kill from Burgess. Oklahoma took the lead after Dunlap couldn’t muster a proper attack off the Sooners’ serve. Vanderbilt anchored itself down to stop the momentum swing, forcing an attack error by Barnes after her return careened out of bounds.
The heated battle continued, Oklahoma managing to push out a two-point gap after back-to-back kills from Shelton, notching her kill total to 18 on the night. In the end, Vanderbilt’s furious effort wasn’t enough, as a serving error by Maya Witherspoon sealed the deal for Oklahoma.
