Three OU Volleyball Players Named to Sooner Invitational All-Tournament Team

Sept. 13, 1999

NORMAN, Okla. - Three University of Oklahoma volleyball players were named to the Sooner Invitational All-Tournament Team on Monday. The players, Cathy Cook, Carolyn Kittell and Maria Holmgren, helped lead OU to a 2-1 record and a second-place finish in last weekend's tournament at the OU Field House in Norman.

Wyoming's Melody Friehauf was selected as the most valuable player of the Sooner Invitational. The junior middle blocker was instrumental in helping the Cowgirls claim the tournament championship with a 3-0 record. The 6-2 Windsor, Colo., product finished the two-day, four-team tournament with 57 kills, 18 blocks and a .454 hitting percentage. In Wyoming's 3-2 victory over Arkansas-Little Rock on Saturday, Friehauf registered 21 kills and eight total blocks.

For the second time this season, Cook and Kittell were named to an all-tournament team, while it was Holmgren's first selection of the year. Cook and Kittell were also named to the Cal Poly Classic All-Tournament Team after OU's second-place finish on Sept. 4.

Cook, a junior middle blocker, finished the Sooner Invitational with 29 kills, five blocks, six service aces and a .500 hitting percentage. In OU's 3-1 win over Wichita State, Cook recorded 12 kills, four service aces, two blocks and a .524 hitting percentage.

Junior Kittell continued her stellar play this season in the Sooners' three matches last weekend. The 5-7 setter tallied 133 assists, 21 digs, five blocks and seven kills. In OU's 3-1 victory over the Shockers, Kittell finished with 47 assists, six digs, three blocks and three kills.

Holmgren, a Trelleborg, Sweden, product, had her best performance of the year in the Sooners' 3-1 loss to Wyoming on Saturday. Against the Cowgirls, the 6-1 outside hitter registered 16 kills, one dig, one block and a .519 hitting percentage. For the weekend, Holmgren recorded a team-high 32 kills. She also added four digs and two blocks.

OU (4-2) returns to tournament action this Friday and Saturday at the Northwestern Tournament in Evanston, Ill. The Sooners will start the tournament with two matches on Friday. Their first match is slated for 9:30 a.m. against West Virginia while their second is scheduled for 5 p.m. versus San Jose State. Saturday's action places the Sooners against LSU at 2:30 p.m. and versus host Northwestern at 7:30 p.m.

1999 SOONER INVITATIONAL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Cathy Cook, Oklahoma
Carolyn Kittell, Oklahoma
Maria Holmgen, Oklahoma
Jamie Burke, Wyoming
Jan Meloy, Wichita State
Marijanna Bego, Arkansas-Little Rock

TOURNAMENT MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Melody Friehauf, Wyoming