Volleyball Readies For Baylor And Texas Tech This Week :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

Volleyball Readies For Baylor And Texas Tech This Week :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team. Volleyball Readies For Baylor And Texas Tech This Week

Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

	Junior Denise Griffin had 13 kills and 10 digs while hitting .400 against Nebraska last Saturday.

Oct. 8, 2001

NORMAN, Okla. - Oklahoma will be on the road against Baylor on Wednesday, Oct. 10, and will the play host to Texas Tech on Saturday, Oct. 13. Match times are set for 7 p.m.

Baylor is 10-4 overall and 2-4 in the Big 12 heading into the match with Oklahoma. OU leads the all-time series with the Bears 15-9 dating back to 1976. Baylor has taken the last four matches with Oklahoma last winning 3-2 on Nov. 27, 1998, in Norman.

The Bears, currently eighth in the Big 12, were on an eight-match winning streak to start the 2001 season before dropping four-straight conference matches to Texas, Colorado, Texas A&M and Nebraska. Since then, BU has rebounded with two victories over Iowa State and Missouri. Baylor's most recent victory was a 3-1 win (25-30, 30-21, 30-21, 30-27) over Missouri.

Leading the Bears' are sisters Stevie and Sunny Nicholas. Stevie has posted 230 kills (5.00 kpg) and registered 165 digs (3.59 dpg) to lead the team while Sunny has a team-high .366 hitting percentage and averages 2.70 kpg. Tisha Swartz is tops in blocks with 49 (1.07 bpg) while Stevie Nicholas and Daniela Lloreda have 29 service aces each (0.63 sapg). Dana Chuha is averaging 13.37 apg, good enough for second place in the conference.

On Saturday, the Sooners welcome Texas Tech into the Howard McCasland Field House for a 7 p.m. match. The Red Raiders lead the all-time series 27-11 with the Sooners. Texas Tech has swept the Sooners in the last six matches. Oklahoma last won 3-0 on Nov. 28, 1997, in Norman.

The Red Raiders are 9-4 overall and 3-2 in the Big 12 to start the week while sitting at fifth place in the conference standings. TTU has lost to Missouri and Colorado while defeating Kansas State, Iowa State and Kansas.

Leading the TTU offense is Yolanda Cumbess with 168 kills (3.43 kpg) and a .358 hitting efficiency. Setter Skydra Orzen is dishing out an average of 13.92 assists per game to lead the Big 12. Defensively, Ann Romjue has recorded 168 digs (3.82 dpg) followed by Melissa McGehee with 166 (3.53 dpg). Cumbess and Angela Mooney share blocking highs of 21 (0.43 and 0.40 bpg, respectively).

Oklahoma will be facing the two weakest blocking teams among the Big 12 in Baylor and Texas Tech (1.79 and 1.57 bpg, respectively). Despite this weakness, Baylor claims the top spot in kills (17.57 kpg), assists (15.91 apg) and service aces (2.50 sapg) in the league while Texas Tech checks in at number one in the digs category (17.86 dpg).

Leading the Sooners
Sophomore Logan Pierce continues to lead the Sooners offensively. She currently has 139 kills (2.90 kpg) while junior Lindsay Hoyt is the only other Sooner to hit the century mark in kills with 102 (2.12 kpg). Freshman Candice Woods leads the team in hitting efficiency at .182 (90K, 48E, 231TA). In the match against Nebraska on Saturday, junior Denise Griffin hit a season-high .400 (13K, 3E, 25TA).

Hoyt leads the Oklahoma defense with 123 digs (2.56 dpg). Pierce is close behind with 116 digs (2.42 dpg) while junior Jessica Barney and sophomore Christina Barlow sit at 102 digs (2.12 dpg) each.

Barney also leads the team and ranks eighth in the Big 12 conference in service aces with 21 (0.44 sapg). She also tops the team in assists with 468 (9.75 apg). Woods remains dominate at the net with 41 blocks (0.85 bpg).

The Sooners rank sixth in the Big 12 conference in service aces, averaging 1.59 sapg.

Week in Review
The University of Oklahoma volleyball team (2-13, 1-4 Big 12) was swept by Texas and No. 2 Nebraska last week at home and on the road.

Texas won Wednesday's match 31-29, 30-17 and 30-17 while sophomore Logan Pierce and junior Denise Griffin led OU with 10 and nine kills, respectively. Every Sooner played a part defensively with Griffin leading the way with eight digs followed by Pierce with six while four others had four digs each. Freshman Candice Woods and junior Jessica Barney shared blocking honors with three each.

In OU's (30-21, 30-24, 30-16) loss to Nebraska on Saturday, Griffin and Pierce both recorded double doubles while playing in front of the largest crowd in Divison 1 volleyball this season (8,976) at the Devaney Center. Griffin led the team with 13 digs and 10 kills while posting a season-best .400 hitting efficiency (13K, 3E, 25TA). Pierce followed closely with 11 kills and 10 digs. The Huskers held Oklahoma to a .111 hitting percentage while posting 55 kills and 11 errors on 111 total attempts (.396). NU also outblocked OU 11-3.

Head Coach Kalani Mahi
Second-year Head Coach Kalani Mahi is now 2-13 overall and 1-4 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 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

Volleyball Readies For Baylor And Texas Tech This Week :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

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