OU Opens Sooner Invitational with Sweep of Trojans

Sept. 10, 1999

Norman, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma volleyball team open the Sooner Invitational Friday night with a 3-0 sweep of Arkansas-Little Rock at the OU Field House in Norman. In front of a crowd of 279, the Sooners won, 15-1, 15-12 and 15-5. OU improved to 3-1 on the season while the Trojans fell to 2-3.

The Sooners began the match with a 12-0 lead in the first game before Arkansas-Little Rock got its only point of the game. OU's Maxine Zubiaga served the first 12 points and contributed two aces. The junior defensive specialist was all over the court for the Sooners, as she led the team in digs with 10.

"Maxine did a great job," Head Coach Miles Pabst said. "She is our best passer. She was part of two really great defensive rallies and it is neat to see that and the crowd really loved the effort."

In game two, the Sooners built a 13-3 lead before the Trojans made their charge. They outscored OU 9-1 to pull within 14-12 and fought off six game points. But the Sooners' Carolyn Kittell stopped any type of UALR come back with a game-winning kill to give OU a 15-12 victory.

With the Sooners fighting off a lackluster start in game three, junior Cathy Cook took control. The middle blocker hit some powerful shots at the net as she recorded eight of her 13 total kills on the night. Outside hitter Danielle Bookout also contributed 13 kills in the match. Kittell added 43 assists.

"The third game, our emotion just went down," Pabst said. "I got to play everyone tonight and give them a little taste of the win. I wish I could have played them all night long."

The Trojans, who struggled for most of the match, finished with a .137 hitting percentage, while the Sooners ended with a .357 hitting percentage. Oklahoma also out-blocked UALR, 10-4.

In the first match of the Sooner Invitational, Wyoming defeated Wichita State, 3-2. The Cowgirls jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but the Shockers fought back and evened the score at 2-2 before falling in game five, 15-12. Wyoming was led by Melody Friehauf's 18 kills and Brooke Lowry's 55 assists. Jan Meloy of WSU finished with a match-high 23 kills.

The Sooner Invitational continues Saturday with four matches inside the OU Field House. The day will begin with UALR facing Wyoming at 10 a.m., followed by the Sooners and Shockers at noon. The second session of the day begins at 5 p.m. with OU and Wyoming battling just prior to the Sooner football home opener (kickoff at 6:30 p.m. at Memorial Stadium). The last match of the tournament is slated for 7 p.m. between Wichita State and the Trojans.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

OU Opens Sooner Invitational with Sweep of Trojans

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