Volleyball History

In its 22 years of existence, the Sooner volleyball program has established itself as a consistent winner. The program has posted winning seasons in 14 of those years and have compiled one conference tournament championship, six conference runner-up finishes, two appearances in the NCAA Tournament and one appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship.

Amy Dahl was the programs first coach. She was followed by Miles Pabst in 1978 where he has held the position ever since. Pabst owns a .544 winning percentage.

The highlight of the programs history came in back-to-back campaigns, 1987 and 1988.

The 87 squad won the Big Eight Tournament with an overall record of 26-8. The Sooners advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament, but lost to Western Michigan.

In 1988, OU fell one match short of reaching the NCAA Final Four, finishing the season with a 23-9 season record. In the first round of the NCAA Tourney, the Sooners sought revenge on Western Michigan, defeating WMU in three games. From there, OU squared off against Big Eight foe Nebraska and shucked the Cornhuskers in five games. The Sooners were eliminated from the tournament by Illinois in three games.

Pabst led the Sooners to their only appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship in 1993. OU entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed, but were eliminated in the semifinals by Utah in a three-hour, five-game match. The Utes captured the fifth and final game 24-22. The Sooners set an NIVC record for digs in that match with 141.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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