OKLAHOMA CITY – A blend of experienced strength and fresh talent gives Oklahoma City University an optimistic outlook for the upcoming 2025 volleyball season.
 
Nine returning players and six newcomers provide head coach Kristen Coventon the ingredients to build on the reputation of Stars volleyball.
 
Last year's 15-15 squad ended its season in the Sooner Athletic Conference semifinals and the Stars look to be better this year, despite the loss of All-American Ruby Kelley.
 
"I have high expectations for this team," Coventon said. "We may have graduated a bunch of seniors, but we return a lot of underclassmen that saw significant playing time last year. I think that experience that they had will carry over to this year. We brought in four freshman and two transfers that will bring in some depth and experience to add to our returning group."
 
Returning Players
 
The returning group includes seniors Marina Kalajdzic, Joeci Hunt and Maddie Edwards, junior Natalie Adams and sophomores Grace Smallwood, Erin Mack, Ryan Leland, Layla Olvera and Bailey Lowder.
 
Despite losing some on-court leadership, there isn't a desert of athletes ready to step into those roles.
 
"The great thing about our team chemistry is that anyone on our team can be a leader, whether it is a first-year player on our team or a senior," said Coventon "I expect Marina Kalajdzic to make an impact on our team this year. She has worked extremely hard over her three years here and she is a great leader, and an amazing human. I also expect Grace Smallwood and Natalie Adams to step up in a big way to keep our team together and work to keep our team culture where it has been the last few years."
 
Smallwood is the leader in kills among returning players after averaging 2.24 last season. Lowder had 111 and Edwards added 110. Adams led the team with 663 assists in 2024.
 
Smallwood also led the team with 3.39 digs per set and Hunt averaged 2.91.
 
Newcomers
 
The team added transfers Biljana Milosevic from Morton College and Kaylie Marshall from Southern Nazarene. Four freshman also join the squad – Kate Cleofe, Summer Clark, Katelyn Stephenson and Kacie Townsend.
 
"Bringing in six new faces, we have a lot of people that can make an impact," said Coventon. "I expect transfer outside hitter Kaylie Marshall to make an immediate impact on our team. She's strong and athletic, I expect her to be one of the top hitters in the conference. Biljana Milosevic is a transfer that will be another middle that we have that will be a dominate blocker, and someone who finds ways to score.  Our four freshmen also have the ability to come in and make an immediate impact on the team."
 
Strengths
 
The Stars anticipate continued strength in its front-line defense and generate a balanced offense.
 
"We have consistently been one of the top blocking teams in the conference," said Coventon. "I see us building off that with who we have returning and who we have brought in. I think we will spread the ball around a little more this year and we can score at every position."
 
Improvements
 
There are some key areas in which improvement by the Stars might make OCU much more successful.
 
"I want to see some improvements in our serve receive," Coventon said. "We lost many of our primary passers from last year's team so I know that's something that we will really need to focus on in preseason. I would also like to see us speed up our offense just a little bit more to open things up for us."
 
Schedule
 
The season begins this weekend with a trip to San Antonio for the Halo Classic, beginning at 12:30 p.m. on Friday against host Our Lady of the Lake. The Stars then take on William Carey and Embry-Riddle on Saturday.
 
The following week, OCU visits Park University to play Park, Bethel (Kan.) and St. Mary (Kan.). Those six matches set the stage for the beginning of Sooner Athletic Conference action on Sept. 5, when Nelson visits for the Stars' home opener.
 
"Our preseason won't be as crazy as last year, when we played six teams in the top 25, but we will still be tested," Coventon said. "Our Lady of the Lake, Park University, and University of St. Mary all have teams that are constantly strong. Our games against Nelson and Texas Wesleyan are always games that will be tough. We are lucky enough to be hosting the OCU Homecoming game against Mid-America Christian on Nov. 8, and that will be a really special event for us."
 
The season starts Friday in the Halo Classic with the first home match scheduled for 6 p.m. against Nelson on Sept. 5.
 
All home games will be streamed live on the OCUSports.com website.