SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist volleyball will open its 2026 campaign this weekend as it participates in the BritKare Lady Buff Classic, hosted by West Texas A&M. The Bison will take on Tuskegee and Adams State on Aug. 28 before closing out the weekend against Wisconsin-Parkside and #19 West Texas A&M on Aug. 29.
This is the second year in a row that OBU has opened the season in the BritKare Lady Buff Classic. The Bison are 2-5 against the field. OBU is 1-1 against Adams State and 1-4 against WTAMU. OBU has never faced Tuskegee or UW-Parkside.
Oklahoma Baptist enters the 2026 campaign as the reigning Great American Conference Tournament champion, capturing its fourth GAC Tournament title overall and second in the past three seasons. The victory gave the Bison a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in school history.
OBU returns two all-conference selections from last year's GAC championship team. Rylee Unruh earned First Team All-GAC honors a year ago after finishing in the top three in the league in three different statistical categories. Emily Boyer also returns after being named a Second Team All-GAC selection and is within striking distance of 3,000 career assists.
The Bison return four of their top five leaders in kills from a year ago. Unruh leads the pack with 377 kills last year while Mackenzie Frazee (221), Lauren Safrit (179), and Melody Donegan (170) are also back. Those four accounted for 61.4% of the team's kills in 2025.
Defensively, OBU will need to replace Karsyn Hunter, who earned All-GAC Honorable Mention accolades after leading the squad with 586 digs. Frazee led the Bison and ranked in the top 50 nationally with 117 total blocks, including a school record 43 solo blocks.
AN OBU WIN WOULD...
Be its third-straight victory in a season-opener. The Bison swept Spring Hill to kick off the 2024 campaign and defeated Colorado State Pueblo to open 2025.
Be its fourth victory in its last five matches at the BritKare Lady Buff Classic. Oklahoma Baptist went 3-1 at least year's event, opening the weekend with three-straight wins before falling to then-No. 8 West Texas A&M in the weekend finale.
AN OBU LOSS WOULD...
Be its first neutral-site loss since falling to Ouachita Baptist, 3-0, in the 2024 GAC Tournament in Hot Springs, AR. It would be the first regular-season neutral-site loss for the Bison since Sept. 20, 2024 in a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Missouri Western.
Snap a string of nine straight neutral-site wins. Oklahoma Baptist went unbeaten on a neutral court last year including three neutral-site wins at last year's BritKare Lady Buff Classic.
UP NEXT
Oklahoma Baptist will face Central Oklahoma at home on Sept. 1 before traveling to Florida for four matches, including three at the Tampa Volleyball Classic (Sept. 4-5).
