"The exhibition match is a great chance to do final prep as we head into the final week before the home opener," head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton said. "We had the scrimmage to re-create a home match, and now this can simulate being on the road. It's rowdy, the entire building is against you, and we have to embrace a road warrior mentality heading into preseason play."
Admission to the event will be free for all fans and the Sooners will sign autographs following the match.
"A core pillar is to continue to grow the game and also our Sooner fan base," Gray-Walton noted. "This environment and opportunity is something we will embrace and look to take advantage of."
After last season, the Sooners have added depth, but are notably young with five veterans and 11 underclassmen making up the team.
OU returns eight student-athletes for the fall campaign, including sophomore trio Peyton Dunn, Callie Kemohah and Megan Wilson, who all were named to the All-Big 12 Rookie Team last season. Wilson was also named the 2021 AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year and was selected to the All-Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Team for this season.
Graduate student Savannah Davison provides a veteran presence, while junior Kelsey Carrington returns this season after being sidelined due to illness in 2021.
Joining the Sooners this season are a large group of newcomers, including transfers Adria Oliver (Cincinnati) and Payton Chamberlain (Wyoming), and freshmen Morgan Perkins, Alexis Shelton, Taylor Preston, Chloe Kaminski, Sydney Thompson and Beth Bayless.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: CENTRAL ARKANSAS
The Sooners are undefeated against the Bears in the all-time series, 4-0. OU has won the last three meetings at home, including it's last in 2015.NEXT SERVE
The Sooners open their 2022 campaign next week at home with the OU Invitational inside McCasland Field House, and will host Gonzaga on Friday, Aug. 26, Big Ten foe Iowa on Saturday, Aug. 27, and conclude the weekend with FIU on Sunday, Aug. 28.Season and single-match tickets are on sale now and can be purchased online through SoonerSports.com or by calling the OU ticket office at (405) 325-2424.
