Sooner Volleyball To Play Texas and No. 2 Nebraska This Week :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

Sooner Volleyball To Play Texas and No. 2 Nebraska This Week :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team. Sooner Volleyball To Play Texas and No. 2 Nebraska This Week

Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

	Oklahoma faces Texas and Nebraska, the 2000 national champions, this week.

Oct. 1, 2001

Norman, Okla. - The Oklahoma volleyball team (2-11, 1-2 Big 12) has a tough week with matches against Texas at home and No. 2 Nebraska on the road.

Texas leads the all-time series with OU 18-0 dating back to 1975. The two teams last met on Nov. 18, 2000, in Norman, where Texas won 3-0.

Leading the Longhorns' offense is Mira Topic with a team-high 163 kills (4.29 kpg) while Bethany Howden carries a .312 hitting percentage and has posted 160 kills. Setter Abbie Schindler has contributed to the offensive efforts with 480 assists (13.71 apg).

Defensively, Mira Topic leads the team with 154 digs (4.05 dpg) while Howden has recorded 53 blocks (1.39 bpg).

Texas is in fourth place in the Big 12 at 8-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference, while ranking in the top five as a team and individually in several statistical categories. The Longhorns are fifth overall in service aces with 66 (1.74 sapg) while Topic is second in the league with 26 (0.68 sapg). Defensively, UT ranks second in blocking, averaging 3.03 bpg while Howden is third on the Big 12 charts with 53 blocks (1.39 bpg). Topic leads the conference with 154 digs (4.05 dpg) while Texas is second as a team with 664 (17.5 dpg).

Following their Wednesday night home match, the Sooners travel to Lincoln, Neb., for a 1:00 p.m. match with the Huskers on Saturday, Oct. 3. NU leads the all-time series 53-6, with OU's last victory coming on Oct. 10, 1997, in the Howard McCasland Field House.

Offensively for the Huskers, Amber Holmquist carries a team-high .487 hitting percentage while Nancy Metcalf is tops in kills with 154 (4.40 kpg).

Metcalf, who was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for the second time this week, is also leading the team in digs with 114 (3.26 dpg) while Jenny Kropp has a team-high 62 blocks (1.82 bpg).

The Huskers lead the Big 12 in team hitting percentage (.305) and blocks (4.03 bpg). Holmquist ranks first in hitting efficiency at .487 while Metcalf is third in kills with 154 (4.40 kpg). Kropp leads the league in blocking with 1.82 bpg.

Nebraska has been ranked No. 1in the USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll every week this season prior to the Oct. 1 ranking in which Long Beach State overtook the No. 1 spot. NU's only loss was to then No. 2 Long Beach Sate on Sept. 1.

Leading the Sooners
Sophomore Logan Pierce is the only member of the team to break the century mark in kills with 118. She had a career-high 15 kills in the 3-1 loss to Missouri on Saturday. Freshman Candice Woods also had a career-high .476 hitting percentage in the match with Missouri. Woods has 81 kills on the season, just 10 behind junior Lindsay Hoyt with 91 kills.

Hoyt remains tops in digs with 114 (2.71 dpg) while Pierce is close behind with 100 (2.38 dpg). Woods remains strong at the net with 36 blocks (0.86 bpg) followed by freshman Alexia McWhinney with 25 (0.68 bpg).

Junior Jessica Barney is leading the team in service aces with 20 (0.48 sapg) which is also good for seventh place in the Big 12. She also leads the team in assists with 406 (9.67 apg).

Week in Review
The University of Oklahoma volleyball team (2-11, 1-2 Big 12) dropped two matches on the road last week against non-conference state rival Oral Roberts and Big 12 opponent Missouri.

On Wednesday, the Sooners traveled to Tulsa to face ORU. The Golden Eagles swept the Sooners by scores of 30-17, 30-21 and 30-15. Sophomore Logan Pierce hit a team-high .304 and had a team-high 10 kills. Despite Pierce's hitting percentage, OU hit .057 as a team compared to ORU's .356.

On Saturday, Oklahoma faced the Tigers in Columbia, Mo., at the Hearnes Center in front of a season-high crowd of 1,416. MU defeated the Sooners 3-1 (30-18, 22-30, 30-22, 30-20).

Freshman Candice Woods led the Sooners with a season-high .476 hitting percentage while sophomore Logan Pierce had a season and career-high 15 kills.

The Tigers' Mary Lauren Smith and Christi Myers combined for more than half of MU's 68 kills with 20 and 18, respectively.

Missouri hustled for 75 digs while Oklahoma had 54. Freshman Emily Kincaid had a season-high 10 digs on the night.

Head Coach Kalani Mahi
Second-year Head Coach Kalani Mahi is now 2-11 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Mahi and the Sooners snapped Kansas' perfect 10-0 start, best in program history, on Sept. 22 with a 3-1 victory in the Howard McCasland Field House.

Earlier in the season, Mahi coached junior outside hitter Denise Griffin to all-tournament honors at the 2001 Wyoming Cowgirl Classic and sophomore outside hitter Logan Pierce to all-tournament honors at the Sam Houston State Tournament.

In his first year at OU, Mahi led the team to a 7-21 overall finish.

Howard McCasland Field House: Home of Sooner Volleyball
The University of Oklahoma Howard McCasland Field House, home of OU volleyball, is currently going through several renovations. As part of Greater Expectations: The Campaign for Sooner Sports, the newly renamed Howard McCasland Field House, previously the OU Field House, has already seen renovations in the volleyball locker rooms, team room and bathroom/shower area.

Work will also be done on the seating areas, lighting, sound system, restrooms, concession areas, ADA and life safety needs. The Field House will also be equipped with a heating and cooling system. Construction will be completed in phases as private funds become available. One million dollars has already been pledged by a private donor.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Sooner Volleyball To Play Texas and No. 2 Nebraska This Week :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

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