Beavers Play Four Sets in Orange and Black Scrimmage

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State volleyball team hit the court and played in front of fans for the first time during the 2021 season on Saturday evening in the Orange and Black scrimmage. The seven newcomers got their first taste of playing in front of Beaver Nation, while a majority of the team experienced fans in Gill Coliseum for the first time in their careers, since fans weren't permitted during the 2020-21 season.
 
Team Black won all four sets that were played, but it was closely contested the entire way through the match. Players were intermixed during the evening on both the Orange and Black teams to create multiple different looks for the coaching staff.
 
Sixth-year head coach Mark Barnard was satisfied with the result, choosing to assess from the sidelines while assistant coaches Anna Khrystenko and Arica Nassar directed the squads.
 
"It was great for them to play in front of a crowd," said Barnard. "It was good for them to get, not only the the feel of playing again, but the feel of playing in front of people and any nerves that comes with that. It's an adjustment to get used to having fans around, but we performed well under the circumstances. It was a positive experience in that sense."
 
"It was also great that we were able to use everyone a lot. We were able to see how each player can potentially fit into the scheme we are running. All-in-all it was pretty good as a whole for everyone coming back out," Barnard said.
 
Barnard also noted that Izzi Szulczewski, Kateryna Tkachenko and Grace Massey made an impact and stood out in each of their respective positions.
 
The Beavers open the season next Friday at the Oklahoma Invitational in Norman, Okla. OSU will face the Sooners at 3 p.m. PT on Aug. 27 before playing Houston on Aug. 28..
 
Oregon State will continue road action through the first week of October, playing in three additional tournaments and opening Pac-12 play on the road. OSU returns to Gill on Oct. 8 to host Stanford at 7 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.
 
Season and single game tickets for the 2021 Oregon State volleyball season are now available for purchase via BeaverTicket.com/Volleyball and 1-800-GO-BEAVS.
 
For more information on the Oregon State volleyball team, follow the club's official Twitter account at Twitter.com/BeaverVBall, by Facebook at Facebook.com/BeaverVBall or on Instagram at Instagram.com/BeaverVBall.
 
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