Sooners Go 1-2 on the Week, Snap Jayhawks' 10-Match Winning Streak :: Weekly news and notes about the Oklahoma volleyball team

Sooners Go 1-2 on the Week, Snap Jayhawks' 10-Match Winning Streak :: Weekly news and notes about the Oklahoma volleyball team Sooners Go 1-2 on the Week, Snap Jayhawks' 10-Match Winning Streak

Weekly news and notes about the Oklahoma volleyball team

	Sophomore Logan Pierce leads the OU offense with 93 kills (2.45 kpg).

Sept. 24, 2001

Norman, Okla. - After an 11-day break from competition, the University of Oklahoma volleyball team played its Big 12 Conference opener against No. 22 Kansas State on Wednesday, Sept. 19, in Mahnattan. The Wildcats won the match in 3-0 (30-13, 30-16, 30-23). The Sooners had to turn around the following day to play their home opener against SMU, losing 3-0 (30-24, 30-24, 30-18). Playing its third match in four days, Oklahoma opened Big 12 Conference home schedule against Kansas on Saturday. The Jayhawks entered the match with a perfect record, 10-0, before the Sooners put a stop to the program's best start in school history. OU won by scores of 24-30, 30-27, 31-29 and 30-28. Junior Denise Griffin and sophomore Logan Pierce led the Sooner offense with 15 and 14 kills, respectively. Pierce recorded her third double-double of the season by hustling for 13 digs. Junior Lindsay Hoyt had her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and 15 digs while tying a season-high five block assists.

Leading the Sooners
Sophomore Logan Pierce continues to lead the Sooner offense with 93 kills (2.45 kpg) while freshman Candice Woods is tops in hitting percentage at .206. Junior Lindsay Hoyt is the team leader in digs with 95 (2.50 dpg) followed closely by Pierce with 91 (2.39 dpg). At the net, Woods remains strong with 31 blocks (0.82 bpg). Junior Jessica Barney is leading the team in service aces with 19 (0.50 sapg) which is also good for seventh place in the Big 12. She also leads in assists with 348 (9.16 apg).

A Look Ahead
The Oklahoma volleyball team (2-9, 1-1) travels to Tulsa for a non-conference match with Oral Roberts on Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m. The Golden Eagles (6-3, 2-0 Mid-Continent) are on a six-match winning streak after losing their first three matches to Loyola Marymount, Clemson and Colorado. ORU leads the all-time series 24-17, with OU's last win coming on Sept. 16, 1994. The Sooners haven't played the Golden Eagles since November 1995. Leading the Golden Eagles' offense are April Syko with 108 kills (3.18 kpg) and Patricia Menezes with a team-high .354 hitting percentage. Defensivley, Menezes is tops in digs with 86 (2.53 dpg) while Celeste Jones has 23 blocks (0.70 bpg). Oklahoma returns to league play with a match against Missouri on Saturday, Sept. 29. The Tigers are 8-1overall and 1-1 in league play, after losing a marathon match to No. 16 Texas A&M, 3-2, last Saturday. The Sooners lead the all-time series with the Tigers 32-16, with their last win being a three-game sweep in 1999. MU takes on Southeast Missouri State and Kansas State before welcoming the Sooners into the Hearnes center for a 7 p.m. match. Offensively for the Tigers, Krista Johnson leads the team with a .369 hitting percentage while Lisa Morris leads MU with 124 kills (4.43 kpg), third best in the Big 12. As a team, Missouri ranks second in hitting percentage (.273) and third in digs (17.75 dpg) in the Big 12 Conference.

French Earns Starting Position
Freshman middle blocker Gretchen French earned her first collegiate start as a Sooner against KU on Saturday, Sept. 22. French recorded a career and season-high five kills and three block assists to propel the Sooners to a 3-1 victory. French also saw action against Kansas State and SMU earlier in the week with her first appearance coming on Sept. 7 against Wake Forest.

Griffin Earns All-Tournament Honors
Junior outside hitter Denise Griffin (Logan, Utah) was named to the 2001 Wyoming Cowgirl Classic All-Tournament team. Griffin played in three of the four matches with her best performance coming against tournament champion, Wyoming. Griffin had 12 kills, hitting .231. She also had five digs, three blocks and one service ace.

Head Coach Kalani Mahi
Second-year Head Coach Kalani Mahi is now 2-9 overall and 1-1 in conference play. Mahi and the Sooners snapped Kansas' perfect 10-0 start, best in program history, this past Saturday with a 3-1 victory. 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. With only four returning letterwinners and six new faces, the young team looks forward to the tough challengeof Big 12 Conference action.

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

Sooners Go 1-2 on the Week, Snap Jayhawks' 10-Match Winning Streak :: Weekly news and notes about the Oklahoma volleyball team

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