The Basics
Red Raider Classic
Oral Roberts (2-7) vs. UTRGV (10-1) | Oral Roberts (2-7) at Texas Tech (8-1) | Oral Roberts (2-7) vs. Arizona State (5-4)
Dates: September 16-17
Location: United Supermarkets Arena / Lubbock, Texas
Live Video: Game One | Game Two | Game Three  
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

LUBBOCK, Texas – The Oral Roberts volleyball team will look to get back on track this weekend as they travel to Lubbock, Texas, for the Red Raider Classic September 16-17. The Golden Eagles will face off against UTRGV at 10 a.m. followed by Texas Tech at 2:30 p.m. on Friday before closing the weekend with Arizona State on Saturday at noon.

Important Links
ORU Match Notes
Texas Tech Match Notes
Arizona State Match Notes
Summit League Notes

Opening Serve
• After a 2-1 start to the season, the Golden Eagles have dropped six straight against stiff competition, including two NCAA Tournament qualifiers from a year ago.
 
• At the net, Sakira LaCour leads the Summit League and ranks fifth nationally in total blocks with 54. The senior also enters the weekend 20 blocks away from 300 for her career.
 
• Trinity Freeman continues to lead the way offensively for ORU as the sophomore has downed 118 kills, which ranks fourth in the Summit League.

• LaCour (490) and Kaia Dunford (476) both enter the weekend on the verge of 500 kills for their respective careers. Dunford also sits 28 digs away from 500.

• As a team, ORU ranks inside the top 3 in the Summit League in digs per set (15.73), digs (582), total attacks (1,345) and attacks per set (36.35).

• The Golden Eagles are coming off their best season since 2016 after recording an 18-11 mark in 2021. ORU is in search of their first NCAA postseason appearance since 2006 and 10th overall.

• In the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, the Golden Eagles were selected to finish fourth, garnering 53 votes. Middle blocker LaCour and outside hitter Freeman were selected as the Preseason Players to Watch for the Golden Eagles as voted on by the league's 10 head coaches. In 2021, LaCour was a First Team All-Summit League performer, while Freeman was named to the All-Freshman Team. 

• Head Coach Frank Craig III is in his third season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and returned nine letterwinners from a season ago. In the offseason, Craig welcomed freshmen Kyla Randall, Kedron Burk, Natassia Baptiste and Serena Kohler to the roster, along with Utah State transfer Kalena Vaivai.

Inside the Matchup: UTRGV
• Friday's contest marks the fourth meeting all-time between the Golden Eagles and Vaqueros and the first since 2010.
 
• In the all-time series, ORU holds a 3-0 record and has not dropped a set to UTRGV.
 
• The Vaqueros enter the weekend on a 10-match win streak and are led by Preseason All-WAC selection Sarah Cruz.

Inside the Matchup: Texas Tech
• For the first time since 2016, the Golden Eagles and Red Raiders face off against each other.
 
• ORU is in search of their seventh win all-time against Texas Tech, who was slated to finish fifth in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Inside the Matchup: Arizona State
• In the weekend finale, ORU takes on Arizona State for only the sixth time in program history.
 
• The all-time series between the Golden Eagles and Sun Devils is tied, 2-2-1. All five matches have been at a neutral site.
 
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.