Oklahoma State (6-8, Big 120-5) lost in three sets to No. 10 BYU (14-3, 3-2 Big 12) on Saturday in Norman.
Here are three takeaways from the Sooners loss:
Fast people can’t overcome slow starts.
OU started late in all three sets.
Although the Sooners improved in the standings toward the end of each set, the slow start proved too much to overcome. Their hard work came too late, losing all three of his sets to BYU (25-23, 25-21, 28-28).
OU head coach Aaron Mansfield said early offensive struggles were the main reason for the loss.
“Offensively, we got off to a very slow start in the first two sets. We couldn’t generate much power on the ball,” Mansfield said. “I think we made some really good adjustments offensively in the third set.”
Mansfield also cited missed opportunities defensively against BYU.
“I thought our defenders were in really good position throughout the game, but we didn’t really make as many plays as I thought we could have done defensively,” Mansfield said. “When you play a team like BYU, you have to take advantage of that opportunity.”
OU utilizes blocking
Despite the loss, OU defeated BYU 7-2.
The Sooners came up with some key blocks in their comeback effort. Senior middle blocker Lydia Bartz was involved in every block for the Sooners, recording seven blocks and five kills.
“Not only is she tall at 6-foot-3 and moves well, but she sees the game well and anticipates it very well,” Mansfield said. “We want to get her in front of as many batters as possible, and I thought she did a really good job today.”
low number of participants
OU had 485 fans in attendance, its lowest attendance of the season. Two weeks after setting an attendance record for the student section with 695 students in the stands, OU’s student section was as small as Red River Rivalry on Saturday.
BYU covered much of McCasland Fieldhouse in a sea of blue that appeared to negate the Sooners’ home court advantage.
Next up, OU (6-8, 0-5, Big 12) will take on TCU (10-6, 3-2, Big 12) at McCasland Fieldhouse on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
“They had two really dynamic outside hitters,” Mansfield said of the Horned Frogs. “Their offense kind of runs through them. We’ve got to find a way to slow down at least one of them, and that’s going to be a big challenge for us.”
