Sooner Volleyball Prepares for Iowa State and Kansas State This Week :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

Sooner Volleyball Prepares for Iowa State and Kansas State This Week :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team. Sooner Volleyball Prepares for Iowa State and Kansas State This Week

Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

	Head Coach Kalani Mahi is looking to pick up his second conference win against Iowa State.

Oct. 15, 2001

Norman, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma volleyball team (2-15, 1-6 Big 12) begins competition this week on Wednesday in Ames, Iowa, against Iowa State (3-11, 0-9 Big 12). Match time is set for 7 p.m. at the Hilton Coliseum. The Sooners have one day of rest before playing host to Kansas State (10-5, 6-3 Big 12) on Friday, Oct. 19. First serve is set for 7 p.m. at the Howard McCasland Field House.

Iowa State is coming into Wednesday's match without a league win and only three victories on the season. The Sooners will be looking for their second conference win against the Cyclones. OU leads the all-time series 35-11, winning the last five matches.

The Cyclones are coming off a 3-0 loss (30-12, 30-11, 30-25) to Colorado on Saturday. Leading the Iowa State attack are Mandi Harms and Brittany Dalager with 139 and 132 kills, respectively. Harms is averaging 2.96 kpg while Dalager sits at 2.81 kpg. Steph Suntken is pacing the Cyclones with a team-high .253 hitting percentage. Dalager is tops in digs with 182 (3.8 dpg) which is also good for second place in the conference while Suntken leads the team with 60 blocks (1.28 bpg). On Friday, the Sooners welcome Kansas State into the Howard McCasland Field House for a 7 p.m. match. This is the second meeting between the two teams this season. K-State defeated the Sooners in Manhattan 3-0 on Sept. 19. Despite the loss, OU leads the all-time series 40-14-1, with their last win coming on Oct. 31, 1998, in Norman.

The Wildcats are coming off a 3-2 victory (30-15, 30-23, 22-30, 26-30, 15-11) over Baylor last Saturday. Liz Wegner leads the K-State offense averaging 4.69 kills per game while setters Gabby Guerre and Laura Downey are averaging 11.21 and 13.00 assists per game. Defensively for the Wildcats, Lisa Mimick has posted a team-high 285 digs (3.19 dpg) while Lauren Goehring is averaging 1.09 blocks per game to lead the team.

The Sooners continue to remain strong at the service line and rank sixth in the Big 12, averaging 1.61 service aces per game. After posting four service aces in the match against Baylor, junior Jessica Barney now ranks fifth on the league's individual charts, averaging 0.47 sapg. While the Sooners excel at the service line, the Cyclones are strong at the net, averaging 2.47 blocks per game, good for fifth place in the Big 12. ISU's Steph Suntken leads the team, averaging 1.28 bpg. Iowa State ranks eighth in the league in digs with Brittany Dalager with 3.87 digs per game good for second place in Big 12. Kansas State, fourth place in the league with a 6-3 record, ranks third in digs (17.69 dpg), fourth in blocks (2.49 bpg) and fifth in service aces (1.64 sapg). Wildcat Liz Wegner ranks second in kills, averaging 4.69 kpg while Christen Jayne sits at fourth place in hitting percentage at .361.

Leading the Sooners
After a career hitting perfomance of .588 (11K, 1E, 17 TA) against Texas Tech, freshman Candice Woods has improved her hitting efficiency to .215 to lead the Sooners. She has 107 kills and 51 errors on 260 attacks while averaging 1.88 kills per game. After a 14-kill effort against TTU, sophomore Logan Pierce has registered 162 kills (2.84 kpg) on the season. Junior setter Jessica Barney is averaging 9.26 assists per game to lead Oklahoma.

Defensively, five Sooners have posted over 100 digs with junior Lindsay Hoyt topping the pack. She has 133 digs (2.33 dpg) while Pierce has 125 (2.19 dpg) and sophomore Christina Barlow has hustled for 115 (2.02 dpg). Barney comes in fourth with 114 (2.00 dpg) followed by junior Denise Griffin at 107 (1.98 dpg). Woods continues to remain strong at the net with 46 blocks (0.81 bpg).

Barney moved up to fifth place on the Big 12 charts in service aces, averaging 0.47 sapg. She tied a season-high four service aces against Baylor on Wednesday night. The team ranks sixth overall in service aces per game at 1.61.

Week in Review
The University of Oklahoma volleyball team (2-15, 1-6 Big 12) was swept by Baylor and Texas Tech last week.

The Sooners traveled to Waco, Texas, on Wednesday and lost by scores of 30-25, 30-20 and 30-21. Lindsay Hoyt led OU with 12 kills while junior Denise Griffin was tops in digs with 10. Candice Woods posted a team-best .333 hitting percentage while recording three blocks. Junior Jessica Barney registered a match-high and tied a season-high four service aces.

On Saturday night Oklahoma played host to Texas Tech, dropping the match 3-0 (30-17, 30-27, 30-19). Woods recorded a team and career-high .588 hitting percentage (11K, 1E, 17TA) while sophomore Logan Pierce had a team-high 14 kills. Barney and Hoyt had two service aces each while Barney and sophomore Christina Barlow shared defensive honors with eight dig a piece. Freshman Gretchen French and Woods recorded two blocks each to lead the Sooners at the net.

Head Coach Kalani Mahi
Second-year Head Coach Kalani Mahi is now 2-15 overall and 1-6 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. Oklahoma looks for its second conference win on Wednesday against Iowa State. The Cyclones have yet to win a league match this season.

Earlier in the season, Mahi coached junior outside hitter Denise Griffin to all-tournament honors at the 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 Prepares for Iowa State and Kansas State This Week :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

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