Norman High volleyball is headed back to the state tournament after winning the Class 6A Regional Championship on Tuesday, Oct. 13, with a five-set victory over Bixby.
The Tigers hosted the regional at Norman High's gym and needed all five sets to outlast the Spartans, as first reported by the Norman Transcript. The win sends Norman High to the OSSAA Class 6A State Tournament for a second straight year. The tournament runs Oct. 22 through Oct. 24 in Verdigris.
Last year's regional title was the program's first state tournament appearance in a decade. In that 2025 run, the Tigers beat Deer Creek in four sets at home, winning 25-7, 25-18, 22-25 and 25-11 to punch their ticket.
This time, the path was tougher. Bixby pushed Norman High to five sets before the Tigers closed it out.
Dirk O'Hara, Norman Public Schools' school board vice president, celebrated the win on X.
@tohara_o: "Congrats to the Norman Tigers volleyball team and coaches! 2026 Class 6A Regional Champions and headed back to State!"
The Tigers built momentum throughout the 2026 season. On Aug. 25, Norman High extended their streak of 19 consecutive set wins and eight straight match victories, according to Norman Transcript coverage of a win over Yukon. The Tigers also took the annual Crosstown Clash over Norman North in four sets on Sept. 22, dropping the opening set before taking control of the match.
Senior right-side hitter Olivia Carter, a Mississippi State commit, has been a driving force on the senior-heavy roster. In an Aug. 19 preseason spotlight on normanathletics.org, Carter talked about the group's identity. "We will be a super high energy team, and we are working to be really good defensively," she said. "We also have a lot of seniors so I think we will have a lot of maturity and good leadership."
That standard carried the Tigers through regionals.
