The Basics
Oral Roberts (0-0) vs. ULM (0-0)
Date/Time: Friday, August 27, 2021 / 10 a.m.

Oral Roberts (0-0) at Lamar (0-0)
Date/Time: Friday, August 27, 2021 / 7 p.m.

Oral Roberts (0-0) vs. Prairie View A&M (0-0)
Date/Time: Saturday, August 28, 2021 / 10 a.m.

Location: McDonald Gym / Beaumont, Texas
Live Video: None
Live Stats: Lamar Athletics

TULSA, Okla. – The 2021 season is here and the Oral Roberts volleyball team begins with three matches in Beaumont, Texas, during the Katrinka Crawford Invitational hosted by Lamar Aug. 27-28.

With all seven starters returning from a season ago, the Golden Eagles are primed for success under second-year head coach Frank Craig III. ORU battles ULM Friday at 10 a.m. in its first match before facing host Lamar at 7 p.m. The final action of the weekend is slated for 10 a.m. Saturday morning as the Golden Eagles take on Prairie View A&M.

OPENING SERVE
•ORU was picked to finish sixth in The Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll for the 2021 season in the 10-team league.
 
•The Golden Eagles return all seven starters from its 2020 squad accounting for 96 percent of kills and 100 percent of their assists and service aces. On the defensive side, ORU welcomes back 99 percent of its total digs and blocks from a year ago.
 
•Libero Sarah Thiessen ranked fourth in The Summit League in digs (346) and digs per set (4.81) in 2020 as she turned in the ninth most digs per set in a single season in ORU history. The redshirt senior was named a Player to Watch in the league's preseason coaches' poll.
 
•The Golden Eagles have a trio of hitters making a return to the lineup that finished with at least 170 kills in 2020 led by Summit League Preseason Player to Watch, Aixa Vigil. The senior paced ORU in kills a season ago posting 208 kills and 3.20 kills per set, while Kaia Dunford (180) and Jaxie Wakley (173) are set for successful seasons in their second year on campus.
 
•Setters Bryanne Soares and Sylvia Lawson will be on the court again for the gold and blue after combining for 646 set assists in the shortened 2020 campaign, tallying 412 and 234, respectively.
 
•ULM is coming off a disappointing 1-22 record from last season where it won the season opener before falling in each of its remaining matches. The Warhawks turn to nine freshman to turn things around in 2021 as they were predicted to finish sixth in the Sun Belt Conference West Division.
 
•Lamar posted a 1-16 mark during the spring of 2021 and were picked sixth in the southwest division of the Western Athletic Conference preseason poll heading into this season. The Cardinals return their leading scorer in junior Kaitlyn Gil, who led the team with 176.5 points, and three of their top four blockers.
 
•Prairie View A&M enters the 2021 campaign after an impressive 12-3 mark a year ago where it reached the SWAC tournament semifinals. Setter Jakarta Hope and defensive specialist Skyla Childs received All-SWAC Preseason Second Team honors and will anchor the Lady Panthers.
 
•Head Coach Frank Craig III returns for his second season with the Golden Eagles and welcomes three freshman to the program. Trinity Freeman (Phoenix, Arizona), Breanna Rivas (Albuquerque New Mexico) and Saje Washington (Dublin, Ohio) begin their collegiate careers.
 
•The top six regular-season finishers qualify for The Summit League Volleyball Championship slated for Nov. 25-27 inside the Sanford Coyote Sports Center in Vermillion, S.D.
 
For the latest information on ORU Volleyball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.