The Basics
Oral Roberts (3-9) vs. Kansas City (3-10)
Dates: September 24
Location: Cooper Aerobics Center / Tulsa, Okla.
Live Video: ORUSN | Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

TULSA, Okla. – The Oral Roberts volleyball team returns home to the Cooper Aerobics Center for the start of Summit League play as they host Kansas City Saturday, September 24 at 1 p.m.

Important Links
ORU Match Notes
Kansas City Match Notes
Summit League Notes

Opening Serve
• The Golden Eagles snapped their seven-match losing streak with a four-set victory over Texas Tech last weekend at the Red Raider Classic in Lubbock, Texas. The road victory marked ORU's first over a Power 5 opponent since 2014.

• Sakira LaCour led the charge for the Golden Eagles as the senior was named to the all-tournament team after totaling 26 kills and 17 blocks on the weekend. The senior also surpassed 500 kills for her career at the tournament.

• At the net, LaCour entered the week as the Summit League leader in total blocks (71), while ranking third nationally. The Albuquerque, New Mexico, native heads into Saturday's contest just three blocks shy of 300 for her career.

• Trinity Freeman continues to anchor the offensive attack for ORU as the sophomore leads the team with 154 kills and 172.5 points, both of which rank inside the top 10 in the Summit League. The Phoenix, Arizona, native has topped ORU in kills nine times this season.

• Over the weekend, Kaia Dunford reached 500 kills and 500 digs for her career. The junior currently leads the Golden Eagles with 151 digs this season.

• In Summit League home openers, the Golden Eagles are 18-5 all-time. 

• As a team, ORU ranks inside the top 3 in the Summit League in attacks per set (37.06), total attacks (1,816), digs per set (15.84), total digs (776) and opponent hit percentage (.213). Nationally, the Golden Eagles are 17th in attacks per set, 25th in total attacks, 32nd in total digs and 35th in digs per set.

• The Golden Eagles are coming off their best season since 2016 after recording an 18-11 mark in 2021.

• 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: Kansas City
• Saturday's contest marks the 55th meeting all-time between the Golden Eagles and Roos.

• ORU currently holds a 46-8 edge in the all-time series. On the home court, the Golden Eagles are 23-3 all-time against Kansas City.

• Last season, ORU went 2-1 against the Roos, who were picked to finish sixth in the Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
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