Broncos Travel to Asics Invitational to Face Oklahoma and Oregon State

Saturday, September 2

Corvallis, Ore.

Noon MT

Boise State

Oklahoma

8/31/2023 5:22:00 PM | Women's Volleyball

By: Courtesy: Boise State Athletics

BOISE STATE AT ASICS INVITATIONAL

Boise State fresh off a 2-0 opening weekend, travels to Corvallis, Ore., this week for the Asics Invitational where they will face the Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) and their hosts the Oregon State Beavers (1-2).
The tournament begins Friday with Oklahoma and Oregon State battling it out, followed by Boise State versus Oklahoma on Saturday and Boise State at Oregon State on Sunday, both Broncos' contests will start at noon (Mountain Time).
Both matches will feature live scoring on StatBroadcast.com; however, only the match versus OSU will be live streamed. Check the volleyball schedule page on BroncoSports.com for all the URLs/links.
Both opponents entered the season with new head coaches Aaron Mansfield (3-0, 96-68 overall) at Oklahoma and Lindsey Behonick (1-2, 1-2 overall) at Oregon State.
The Broncos' schedule has them playing three power-5 schools including both opponents this weekend and Arizona State next week.

Boise State is coming off a 2-0 opening weekend sweep of the Idaho State Bengals winning the first in Boise and the second in Pocatello, both by 3-0 scores.
The Broncos were led by junior outside hitter Paige Bartsch who recorded back-to-back 20-plus kill matches while hitting .422 percent, earning the MW Offensive Player of the Week recognition for her performance.
The Broncos return four starters from 2022 in Bartsch (Jr., OPP), Annie Kaminski (Sr., MB), Jordan Miller (Jr., OH), Chey Day (Sr., MB).
Bartsch is a 2023 Preseason All-Mountain West selection and was a 2022 All-MW honoree and the 2021 MW Freshman of the Year, while Kaminski was a 2022 All-MW Honorable Mention and the spring 2021 MW Newcomer of the Year.
In all, Boise State returns nine student-athletes from the 2022 campaign while adding seven newcomers, three transfers and four freshmen.
Key newcomers are transfers Noelani Helm (Gr., S, Portland) and Breanna Mitchell (So., L, CSUN).
The Broncos were picked by the MW coaches to place sixth out of 11 teams in the 2023 league race.

Oklahoma opened the Mansfield era by going 3-0 at the Ball State tournament last weekend where they defeated Gonzaga 3-0, Purdue Fort Wayne 3-1 and Ball State 3-1.
This is the Sooners first year under head coach Aaron Mansfield who was 94-68 in six seasons a LMU.
OU returns eight student-athletes from the 2022 squad that went 15-13 overall, including four starters. Like the Broncos, the Sooners added seven newcomers, three transfers and four freshmen.
Oklahoma was picked to place 10th out of 13 teams in the 2023 Big 12 Conference race.

The Sooners and Broncos have met once previously; that encounter was during the 2011 season in Norman where OU won in five.

Oregon State began the 2023 campaign last weekend at the Bobcat Classic in Bozeman, Mont., where the Beavers went 1-2. OSU lost to Montana State 3-2 and Kennesaw State 3-1, then beat North Dakota 3-0.
The Black and Orange is in its first season under head coach Lindsey Behonick who is in her first position as a collegiate head coach. She spent the previous 10 seasons as an assistant at Pittsburgh in the ACC.
Oregon State returns eight letterwinners from a 2022 team that went 5-25 overall, it also added seven newcomers including two transfers.
The Beavers were picked to place 11th out of 12 teams in the 2023 Pac-12 Conference race.

The Beavers have controlled the all-time series, which enters its 12th meeting all-time with OSU leading 10-1.
Boise State won the last encounter between the two 3-0 in Boise on Sept. 18, 2021.