Sooner Volleyball Ends Season With Iowa State And Texas :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

Sooner Volleyball Ends Season With Iowa State And Texas :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team. Sooner Volleyball Ends Season With Iowa State And Texas

Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

	Jessica Barney leads the Sooner offense into its last week of competition against Iowa State and Texas.

Nov. 19, 2001

NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma volleyball team (2-29, 1-17 Big 12) rounds out their last week of the 2001 season with a home match against Iowa State on Wednesday, Nov. 21, and a road match at Texas on Saturday, Nov. 24.

Iowa State (4-20, 1-17 Big 12) won the first match of the season series over OU, 3-1 (30-27, 30-32, 30-22, 30-25) in Ames, Iowa. Prior to the loss, the Sooners had won five straight matches over the Cyclones, and lead the all-time series, 35-12, dating back to 1977.

ISU is coming off a 3-0 loss (36-34, 30-22, 30-19) to Texas Tech. Mandi Harms and Brittany Dalager lead the Cyclones with 3.04 kills per game and 4.09 digs per game, respectively. Julie Mitchell is the stronghold at the net with a team-best 1.18 blocks per game, while Sara Stribe dishes out 10.12 assists per game to lead the team.

Texas (14-12, 8-10 Big 12) swept OU earlier this season (31-29, 30-17, 30-17) in Norman. The Longhorns dominate the all-time series with Oklahoma, 19-0, dating back to 1975.

Texas, coming off a 3-1 loss (30-20, 27-30, 27-30, 25-30) to Kansas, is being led by Mira Topic, with 4.80 kills per game and Bethany Howden, who holds a team-best .344 hitting percentage. Abbie Schindler averages a team-high 12.72 assists per game, and Howden averages 1.27 blocks per game to lead the Longhorns.

Leading the Sooners
Sophomore Logan Pierce paces the team with 3.14 kills per game and 2.43 digs per game. She has recorded 317 kills and 245 digs in 101 games of action this season.

After posting her seventh double-double of the season against No. 2 Nebraska, (16 digs and 23 assists), junior Jessica Barney leads the team with 9.26 assists per game and 0.41 service aces per game. Barney tied a career-best five service aces against Nebraska and also ranks second on the team in digs with 2.31 dpg.

Freshman Candice Woods holds a team-high 0.86 blocks per game, while freshman Gretchen French averages 0.76 bpg. Woods posted a career-high nine blocks against Colorado.

Among the Big 12
Oklahoma ranks seventh in service aces (1.44) in the Big 12, while Jessica Barney moved up to fifth place on the individual charts (0.41 apg). The Sooners also rank eighth in total blocks (2.00 bpg).

Iowa State sits at seventh place in blocks (2.42 bpg), while ISU's Julie Mitchell ranks eighth (1.18 bpg). Brittany Dalager ranks second in digs (4.09 dpg) behind Texas A&M's Michelle Cole (4.30 dpg).

Texas ranks third in blocks (2.64 bpg), sixth in service aces (1.52 sapg) and sixth in assists (13.76 apg). Bethany Howden sits at fouth place on the individual charts in blocks (1.27 bpg), while Mira Topic ranks fourth in service aces (0.47 sapg). Abbie Schindler averages 12.72 assists per game, good for fourth place in the league, while Topic is second in kills (4.80 kpg).

Academic All-Big 12 Honors
Three Sooners were named to the Academic All-Big 12 team that was released on Monday, Nov. 19.

Sophomore Christina Barlow and junior Jessica Barney were name to the first team while junior Lindsay Hoyt earned second team accolades.

Barlow is a business major, Barney is an English major and Hoyt is majoring in elementary education.

The team consists of 53 total members, including 42 on the first team and 11 on the second team. First team members are required to have a 3.2 gpa or higher, while second team members are required to have a gpa between a 3.0 and 3.19 gpa. Members are required to participate in at least 60 percent of the team's games.

Winding Down
Oklahoma plays its last two matches this week, including its final home match on Wednesday against Iowa State. The Sooners play their last road match against Texas on Saturday.

Week in Review
The Sooners faced three top 25 teams last week, and were swept in all three matches. OU played host to No. 13 Texas A&M on Monday. Emily Kincaid posted a team-high and tied a career-best three service aces.

In the loss to No. 2 Nebraska on Wednesday at home, Jessica Barney recorded her seventh double-double of the season with team-highs of 16 digs and 23 assists. She also tied a career-best five service aces.

The Sooners ended the week with a road loss at No. 25 Colorado. Candice Woods posted a career-high nine blocks (1 BS, 8 BA) to lead the Sooners.

Double-Doubles
Logan Pierce leads the Sooners with eight double-doubles, her most recent a 12-kill, 11-dig effort against Wichita State at the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational at SMS.

Jessica Barney trails Pierce with seven double-doubles, her most recent a 16-dig, 23-assist effort against No. 2 Nebraska last week. Barney also tied a career-best five service aces in the 3-0 loss. She posted her sixth double-double against Wichita State, dishing out a team-high 33 assists and hustling for a team-best 16 digs.

At the Sam Houston State Tournament, Christina Barlow recorded four double-doubles in five matches. Griffin recorded two double-doubles (Nebraska and Iowa State) while Lindsay Hoyt had one against KU (10 kills, 15 digs).

Head Coach Kalani Mahi
In his second year, Head Coach Kalani Mahi is 2-29 overall and 1-17 in conference play this season. 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.

Mahi has coached three players to all-tournament honors this season. Candice Woods was named to the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational All-Tournament Team, Denise Griffin earned all-tournament honors at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic and sophomore Logan Pierce was named to the Sam Houston State All-Tournament Team.

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 Ends Season With Iowa State And Texas :: Weekly news and notes on the Oklahoma volleyball team.

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