The Basics
Hampton Inn Invitational
Oral Roberts (1-2) vs. Eastern Illinois (3-0) | Oral Roberts (1-2) at IUPUI (2-1) | Oral Roberts (1-2) vs. UC Riverside (0-3)
Dates: September 1-2
Location: The Jungle / Indianapolis, Ind.
Live Video: None | Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

TULSA, Okla. – Fresh off the first win of the Luke Ward era, the Oral Roberts volleyball team hits the road for the Hampton Inn Invitational September 1-2 inside The Jungle in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Golden Eagles will face Eastern Illinois at 9:30 a.m. on Friday followed by host IUPUI at 5 p.m. before concluding play against UC Riverside at 10 a.m. on Saturday.

Important Links
Summit League Notes

Opening Serve
• ORU swept Nicholls State in its final match of the Bearkat Invitational last Saturday for the first win of the Luke Ward era. 

• Preseason Summit League Players to Watch, Trinity Freeman and Kalena Vaivai, led the charge in the win as the duo each registered a double-double. Freeman tallied a match-best 12 kills to go along with 10 digs, while Vaivai dished out a match-high 30 assists and scooped up 10 Colonel attacks. For Vaivai, the double-double was her second of the campaign and 12th of her Golden Eagle career. 

• Newcomer Thaynara de Jesus earned a spot on the Bearkat Invitational All-Tournament Team after leading ORU with 31 kills and 42 digs. Through the first weekend, de Jesus ranks fourth in the League in digs and seventh in kills.

• As a team, the Golden Eagles have held opponents to a .152 hitting percentage, which ranks second in the Summit League. ORU also sits second in total digs with 175. 

• In the offseason, Ward returned seven letterwinners and welcomed eight newcomers to the roster.

• The Golden Eagles currently sit nine wins away from 1,000 as a program.

Inside the Matchup: Eastern Illinois
• Friday's matchup marks the first meeting all-time between ORU and Eastern Illinois.

• The Panthers went 3-0 on opening weekend and are led by the offensive attack of Natalie Michem and Giovana Larregui Lopez, who have registered 51 kills each.

Inside the Matchup: IUPUI
• The Golden Eagles and Jaguars meet for the first time since 2016 on Friday.

• ORU leads the series, 33-7, and is 11-6 all-time in Indianapolis, Indiana.

• IUPUI enters the weekend with a 2-1 mark and is led by Andrew Kroger, who is in his first season.

Inside the Matchup: UC Riverside
• Saturday's matchup marks the third meeting all-time and the first since 2000 between the Golden Eagles and the Highlanders.

• ORU is a perfect 2-0 against UC Riverside all-time.

• The Highlanders dropped all three of their matches on opening weekend at the Idaho Volleyball Classic.
 
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