Roster Updates

[AustinTXSooner]

The 2024 roster has been updated online with the holdovers from last year. Players we've lost are:

• Rylee Fay, Setter, 5'-9", Transferred in last year from New Mexico St. Transferred out.

• Kristen Birmingham, OH, 6'-1", went through Senior Day last year as a Junior

• Mele Corral-Blagojevich, OH/DS, 6'-1", Transferred. Had a wicked serve when she could get it in

• Emma Henry, Setter, 5'-8", Transferred to Loyola Chicago.

• Taylor Preston, OH, 6'-2", Transferred to Michigan St. This one hurt

• Chloe Kaminski, DS, 5'-8" Transferred

Holdovers from last year:

• Kelsey Carrington, MB, 6'-3", went through Senior Day last year. Did volleyball get a Covid year for 2020?

• Payton Chamberlain, Setter, 6'-0"

• Hannah Pfiffner, MB, 6'-1"

• Callie Kemohah, Libero, 5'-6", went through Senior Day last year as a Junior, but must be back

• Alexis Shelton, OH, 6'-2"

• Ireland McNees, OH, 5'-9"

• Daleigh Ellison, OH, 5'-11", went through Senior Day last year, but had a redshirt year, might also have a Covid year left

• Lydia Burts, MB, 6'-3"

• Sydney Thompson, DS/L, 5'-9"

Portal Transfers:

• KJ Burgess, MB, 6'-2", Utah

• Kamille Gibson, OH/MB, 6'-1", Tennessee

• Leah LaBoy, Setter, 5'-8", Utah State

Signed Freshmen:

• Carley Butler, OH, 6'-1"

• Jasmin Ellison, Libero, 5'-5"

• Whitney Wallace, Libero, 5'-10"

We didn't pickup anybody 6'-3" or taller. We need more of those players if we're going to compete with the best teams.

McNees, at 5'-9", is really short for an outside hitter. But she looked good when she stepped in to help replace Shelton when she got injured. I have to wonder if our blocking took a hit though. She also can't hit over a block.

We did pickup 3 players with some height. Burgess played a lot for Utah in 2022. Only 3 matches last year. Gibson was with Tennessee for one year and never played.

[AustinTXSooner]

I forgot one player. I was reminded of her while watching Coach Mansfield on The Huddle this week. Kari Geissberger. She's been Loyola Marymount's best player for 3 years now. She's a 6'-5" Outside Hitter and was Honorable Mention All-American in 2022 as a sophomore. She joins the team in the summer. We'll have her for one year.

https://lmulions.com/sports/womens-voll ... rger/12483

[OUBeliever56A]

I thought that the LMU player was joining the team this summer but you know much more about this than me.

Thanks for your work.

If we can end up with several players that can stay on the court by playing the front row and the back row allowing for back sets to the back row, we can become a better team. At times the OU offense is too predictable.

And then there is the overall reduction of errors which is required also. I am impressed with Mansfield and his leadership and methods.

[KeenwoodWay]

If all goes well Class of 2026 , she's on the way , 6 rotation player .

[sooner.mooner.69]

Please excuse the harshness but I'm just so frustrated with how we've been performing year after year. And now we're going into an even tougher conference with practically no difference? These coaches get so much leeway for poor performance and seem to love pointing blame at the girls when things don't go well. Staff after staff it's the same garbage and based on how these guys handled last year it's another bleak future until they're inevitably fired. Shuffle the girls around all you want but it starts with the coaches. I've heard Mansfield say stuff like "we're a player-lead program" in interviews and that's imho, a cop out. Probably another group of folks focused on keeping their well paying job and shirking ownership of the losses. We're going into the SEC and the only thing he can do is recruit his previous players who have topped out at a mid major? Come on. He HAS to do better.

- Preston was a tough loss for sure. 2021 gatorade player of the year in Kentucky is no small feat. Seemed like neither this staff or the last staff knew how to use her strengths. She wasn't a passer but lord can she swing.

- Henry was a hometown kid so it must have been tough for her to leave. I think her parents also work for the school too so what could have made her want to leave? I'd guess it's the coaching staff. She had a great game coming in for Chamberlain so we could have had some potential there if the staff invested in her.

- Corral-Blagojevich is actually underrated imho. Looked her up after seeing her commitment video last year and she was ranked top 20 in her class as an undersized OH without a huge vertical. Was an under armour all american, and finished in the top 10 every year in open division. She also has better ball control than Kemoah imho and had the stats to back it up - she had the libero position early on but not sure what happened there. She missed a lot from the back line for sure but with a serve like that you have to go for it. Despite that, she was still ranked for service aces in the Big 12 early on. Not sure why the limited game time but we could've put her to work. I might be wrong but I think she was the most credentialed recruit we've had in a long while. Definitely would like to see her up her vertical but it doesn't seem to have held her back. Not to mention, isn't that what the coaching staff is paid to do?

- Pfiffner is solid and consistent. She'll be huge for us this year if they keep her on the court. She is also another kid that has played a high level for basically her whole career in club. From what I understand she was also very highly recruited her senior year of hs.

- Shelton will be huge for us this year too, obviously, with their experience at this level as long as she stays healthy.

- Kemohah dives around and looks flashy but I think it's because she can't actually read the ball. She makes up for it with speed some times but what are they working on at practice? It's been too long for her with no improvement in skill since high school. Aren't coaches supposed to, you know, COACH the kids?

- McNees, and this is admittedly harsh, but honestly seems to be a coaches pet without the skill to actually back up being here. The SEC isn't going to be nice to her but I'm sure she'll get play time. Her parents seem to be pretty close to the coaches based on what I've seen at games last year. I'm hoping it's not nepotism as she transferred from LMU with Mansfield. Seems like a sweet kid but at 5'9" with an average vertical and limited range, I'm not seeing this one as a big producer. At least not against teams we'll need to beat to get into the tournament.

- Burts seems checked out. Heard she got married recently or something?

- Thompson seems to just be surviving and doing enough to stay on the court. I've seen glimpses of great athleticism but not sure why the leash is pulled so tight on this one.

- LaBoy seems like she has great hands but comes across as being a bunch of hype tbh. I don't see her helping the block too much but hopefully we don't need 3 blockers for that triple block this year. LOL. Her parents seem to be complainers too so I wonder how that'll fly with a staff that's only focused on keeping their jobs instead of actually Doing their jobs.

- Burgess is another nepotism pick up. Saw her on social media being pretty close with the McNees kid but at least we could use the height. Doesn't seem like much on the court tbh.

I'll leave the other girls alone but dear lord it's not looking good for us this year. I hope despite the coaching staff, the girls can pull enough together to get some wins.

[OUBeliever56A]

For a may be a first post about the Sooner Volleyball team, sooner.mooner.69 certainly jumped in with both feet and made a splash.

Let me respond with these thoughts.

1 - To lose players like Wilson after the previous season, Mansfield did a good job of closing the gaps to send a good competitive squad in 2023.
2 - To lose Preston after the 2023 season was another blow to Mansfield and his plan. I would say that he has done a decent job of filling that gap in the offseason. I am not sure what could have been done to keep either of these players from transferring.
3 - MCB - In my opinion she has potential but not unless she is willing to train hard and improve her quickness, speed and jumping ability. She was a server with a weapon, but it was a very inconsistent weapon. The Sooners need servers that put 95% of their serves in the court. She could be missed, but we can move on.
4 - Henry - Yes she seemed to have some talent, but if you play a 5-1 rotation she is not the answer due to her height was an issue. Maybe she will be good in a 6-2 rotation which removes the setter from the front row as two are used.
5 - Burts - You seem to know something that is inside the program. I, for one, thought Burts was a bright spot for OU last year. Getting married, if true, is something that happens. From what I saw, she works hard and wants to excel. I expect that to continue.
6 - Thompson - While she has a few 'not so good moments' she seems to be a player with good size which helps. I think the upside is there for her.

The addition of Kari Geissberger for the 2024 season, which was announced yesterday was a great addition to the Sooners for a one-year rental. At 6'5" she will an immediate impact I think for the Sooners who definitely need size to go with Shelton, Burt, Carrington and Pfiffner and others. Kemohah is exceptional at Libero IMO. She could play for most any team. Ellison and McNees helped last season and could again this year.

I think Coach Mansfield would like to find more 'full' rotation players to provide back sets to back row players and to add length and jumping ability to the team. I think he is on the way to do so.

I hope you give Coach Mansfield more of a chance than you seem to have so far. Yes, there are several ties with players from LMU, but that should be a positive thing that they want to play for him rather to trying to make something negative about it.

As for the SEC, could it really be much better than the Big 12 was and is? I will be learning about the SEC VB teams but the Big 12 was very good. And Texas is probably favored to win the SEC in 2024 without a doubt.

I know "AustinTXSooner" might have some thought also. I would like to see his reaction to your comments.

[AustinTXSooner]

For starters, I think this coaching staff knows what they want to do and how they want to play more than the previous staff. So I'm good with giving Mansfield more time. As far as cushy salaries, I'm not sure they get paid enough to call it that.

As for players:
Preston (and Wilson the year before): it kills us to lose this caliber of player.

Henry: I didn't really see her enough to have a good opinion.

MCB: the only thing that stood out to me was her serving. I don't remember her being an outside hitter and I thought her work on the back line was solid, but not great.

Pfiffner: I like her. But she's undersized as a MB. The problem will be when we start playing the top teams that have 6'4"-6'5" hitters

Shelton: Started off a little out of control as a freshman, but has come around to be our best player. Highly athletic will a killer vertical. I love the velocity she puts on the ball. Makes it hard for the defense. Dioufe was a similar style player a few years back.

Kemohah: We have different views on her. I'm with 56. I think she's outstanding.

McNees: I was shocked beyond belief when she was put in as an OH when Shelton got injured. I was pleasantly surprised. She has a good vertical, but defensively, she's a liability because of her height.

Burts: Love her. Got better as the year went on.

Last year was Mansfield's first year. He put in a new system with a patchwork roster. I think his volleyball IQ is significantly better than LGW.

[sooner.mooner.69]

LOL...I can't use my daily driver account to be a cynic, now can I? Well, let me just say this as I'm pretty sure I'm only coming across as mean spirited at this point. I bleed crimson and cream and all I want is for this program to succeed and beat the living bejesus out of Texas! But I've just had it up to here with the mediocrity at McCasland. We've too much of a proven system here to import some California Kid with a 50% win record and expect him to change things meaningfully. He didn't do much while he was at LMU either. No disrespect to the guy, I don't know him, but I have been in the sport long enough to recognize the same tired, lame patterns play out. New coach gets hired, blames the previous staff for a piss poor job, promise to change the world, bring in their own people, suffer through a tough season and call it "rebuilding", marginally improve the quality of recruits for the next few years while they work out the sales pitch, eventually get fired, and then repeat the same thing at a different school. I gave him a chance last season hoping he'd bring something new to Norman but to no avail. And I'm tired of these coaches treating us like we're just some big-name stepping stone to another big paycheck that isn't deserved. All I'm trying to get across is that the kids aren't the problem at this point. Years and years of mediocrity don't just happen. And frankly, it starts with the AD.

Kemohah being "exceptional" is quite generous of you. I distinctly remember multiple sets and games where Kemohah was pinched by our girls and targeted by servers because of shanked serves. Why would an exceptional libero ever be targeted? I'm just not convinced, sorry. Is she a "good libero"? Sure. And as for Burts, there's not much "inside baseball" needed to see what she's sharing on social media: https://www.theknot.com/us/lydia-burts- ... n-jan-2024. Congrats to her, I wish her and all the girls on our team the best. Maybe the fact that she chose to come back for one more is saying something so I can be fair and give her that.

In any case, we'll certainly have to take our talent losses on the chin, as we'll have to do that every year. But the idea that Mansfield is going to recruit "full rotation" players is a joke, honestly. That just has "BS" written all over it. If he were paying attention, he'd know that nowadays the sport is overly specialized from a young age and they're simply not being taught the fundamentals. Maybe that's why they started running that men's style triple block scheme so that the girls wouldn't have to think too much about positioning. When I played, full rotation skills were just the basics. Now, full rotation kids are very hard to come by and if we're being honest, our track record over the years isn't much of a selling point to get the recruits we need. Which is why the LMU pick ups are bothersome. Sure these girls may want to play for him but what does that add to the program if they're not also bringing the skills needed? For what it's worth, I'd be happy to eat my words at the end of the season. I do hope we do well and that things start changing in the fieldhouse.

[KeenwoodWay]

Thanks for the insight of Oklahoma Volleyball. We will still visit this summer, but I'm having issues with what I'm reading. I know moving to the SEC it's going to be more difficult.