The University of Tulsa volleyball team carries a 7-0 record into the Kansas Invitational on Saturday and Sunday in Lawrence, Kan., its best start in 26 years.
The Golden Hurricane face South Dakota State at 4 p.m. CT Sept. 12, and No. 22 Kansas at 2 p.m. CT Sept. 13,at Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. Both matches stream on ESPN+.
Tulsa hasn't opened a season this well since 2000, when the program started 10-0 and finished 20-13, according to the Tulsa World. The Golden Hurricane have won 14 of their last 15 matches dating to last season. The lone loss came against Miami in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Fourth-year head coach Lauren Ramatowski enters the weekend 68-32 overall and 36-14 in nonconference play, the third-best nonconference winning percentage in program history.
Junior setter Brittany Bacorn won tournament MVP at the Bluejay Invitational in Omaha, where Tulsa beat Pepperdine, swept Arizona and knocked off then-No. 10 Creighton in five sets. Bacorn recorded a double-double in all three matches and is averaging 8.71 assists and 2.46 digs per set through 28 sets in 2026.
Sophomore middle blocker Jill Hanson and senior transfer Emma Blaine earned all-tournament honors alongside Bacorn. Hanson, the American Conference Preseason Player of the Year, set a TU single-season record with a .408 hitting percentage as a freshman in 2025.
Senior outside hitter Olivia Vance, a preseason all-conference pick who transferred from James Madison, averaged a career-high 20 kills in the 2025 American Conference title match against Rice. Two days after the Creighton upset, Tulsa swept Oral Roberts to reach 7-0.
The tests keep coming. South Dakota State went 23-5 in 2025 with a perfect 16-0 Summit League record before falling to St. Thomas in the conference title match.
Jackrabbits hitter Sylvie Zgonc leads the nation with 131 kills through two weeks, averaging 5.04 per set. Saturday's match is the first meeting between the two programs.
Sunday's contest against Kansas is the 30th all-time meeting. The Jayhawks lead the series 23-6 and have won nine straight in the rivalry.
Tulsa's last win over Kansas came in a 3-2 decision in 1989 in Lawrence. Kansas went 24-11 in 2025 and reached the Sweet 16 before losing to Nebraska. Freshman Taylor Stanley, the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year, leads the Jayhawks with 4.1 kills per set.
Kansas opened 2026 at 2-3, with losses to No. 4 Pittsburgh, No. 5 Stanford and No. 1 Nebraska. Tulsa's first seven opponents hold a combined .714 winning percentage, the 15th-highest opponent strength of schedule in the country.
The Golden Hurricane also carry a 17-match win streak against regular-season nonconference opponents heading into Saturday's 4 p.m. CT first serve against South Dakota State.
