Final Week For Volleyball's Seniors

NORMAN, Okla -- The Oklahoma volleyball team (11-16, 3-15) will round out the 2004 campaign with two matches during the Thanksgiving week. The Sooners will make a trip to No. 24 Missouri (18-7, 10-2) for a Wednesday match at 7 p.m. They will then return to Norman and play the regular season finale at the Lloyd Noble Center. The Senior Night match against Baylor is set for Saturday at 7 p.m.

Senior Keri Coats and Stephanie Tengram almost claimed an early going away present last Saturday. The Sooners gave No. 3 Nebraska all they could handle in the first two games before relinquishing the match in four games. Its marked the first time since 1997 that OU was not swept by the powerhouse Huskers.

OU will attempt to end a nine-match losing streak against the Tigers in the mid-week tilt. In the first meeting of the season, OU was swept by Missouri while hitting .112 in the Oct. 6 contest.

Live Stats: Baylor

For OU to claim its first win in Columbia since 1997, it will have to slow down the Tigers top guns, Jessica vander Kooi and Shen Danru.

Vander Kooi, the 2003 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, has dramatically improved her game this season. She has become MU's number one option on offense and is averaging 4.0 kills per game as the go-to attacker.

Danru isn't far off vander Kooi's numbers. She is averaging 3.99 kills per game while also digging 2.86 per.

MU's defense is anchored by libero Tatum Ailes, who averages 4.22 digs per game.

The match is crucial for the Tigers who are currently tied with Texas A&M for third place in the Big 12. OU is currently in 10th place and can move into a tie for ninth with Baylor if they pull the upset in Columbia.

OU will take its final shot at Baylor (12-18, 4-15) two days after Thanksgiving. The Senior Night match was moved to the Lloyd Noble Center to accommodate the Oklahoma Open, a wrestling event that will take place at the Howard McCasland Field House all weekend.

OU has won four of the last five against Baylor and hopes to the end the season on the right note. OU had a four-match winning streak snapped at Baylor on Sept. 22 when they lost in four games.

Baylor has lost four straight matches but will have all week to prepare for the weekend meeting with OU.

Baylor is led by junior setter Emily Huston, who ranks eighth in the Big 12 in assists per game (10.15) and second in aces per game (0.56).

Foreign born Baylor attackers Adeline Meira and Des Guillard-Young are both ranked among the Big 12's top-10 in kills per game. Meira is third at 1.6 while Young is seventh at 1.35.

OU is on the verge of outdoing last season's win totals. In 2003 the Sooners went 11-21 overall and 3-17 in league. One win in the final two games will push the Sooners past last years marks.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
The Oklahoma volleyball program will lose two seniors on Saturday. Both Keri Coats and Stephanie Tengram have turned in the best seasons of their careers during their collegiate finales.

Below are the senior tributes that will be read during the pregame Senior Night ceremony on Saturday:

Keri Coats transferred to Oklahoma in 2003 and immediately claimed a starting position on the outside for the Sooners. Over the last two seasons she has been one of the steadiest players on the team. She finishes her OU career with averages of 2.34 kills per game, .247 hitting percentage and 0.87 blocks per game. Coats will graduate from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in marketing. Please welcome Keri, along with her parents Edward and Bonnie.

Stephanie Tengram also transferred into the Oklahoma program in 2003. After serving as a reserve for much of her junior season, she made a late push and finished out her first year as a starter. She retained the starting role at libero this season and is averaging a team-best 3.2 digs per game. She finishes her career with a digs per game average of 3.0. Tengram will continue to pursue a degree in social studies education at the University of Oklahoma. Please welcome Stephanie, along with her parents Michael and Paula.

ACADEMIC HONORS
Six Oklahoma volleyball players were named to the Academic All-Big 12 First and Second Teams on Tuesday afternoon. Sophomores Rachel Jackson and Laura Tomes, along with senior Keri Coats and junior Sheena Werling headlined the first team. Sophomores Anna Monsen and Joanna Schmitt were named to the second team.

Werling, a marketing major, was also a member of the first team last season. The other five student-athletes made the teams during their first year of eligibility for the recognition.

“I am very proud of these student-athletes for excelling in the classroom,” said OU head coach Santiago Restrepo. “It's a testament to their hard work and dedication outside of the gym. They are a wonderful representatives of this program.”

Nominated by each institution's director of student-athlete support services and the media relations offices, the volleyball academic all-league squad consisted of 37 first team members combined with 15 on the second team. First-team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 or better GPA, while the second team are those who have a 3.00 to 3.19 GPA.

To qualify student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher either cumulative or in each of the two previous semesters while participating in 60 percent of her team's scheduled contests. Freshmen and transfers are not eligible in their first year of academic residence. Senior student-athletes who have participated for a minimum of two years and meet all the criteria except percent of participation are eligible.

Last season OU had four student-athletes eligible for the award and all four garnered the academic honor.

RESTREPO LURES JC ALL-AMERICAN
The Oklahoma volleyball team announced the signing of Eliane Santos to a National Letter of Intent on Oct. 12. Santos is a 6-2 middle blocker for the College of Southern Idaho and will transfer from the junior college ranks to OU in the fall of 2005.

The excitement around the signing of the Rio de Janeiro, Brazil native couldn't be any higher within the program. Santos, who was a second team NJCAA All-American in 2003, is widely considered one of best players at the junior college level. CSI, which has won seven of the last 11 NJCAA national championships, is currently ranked No. 3 in the NJCAA Poll and has a 40-3 record.

Santos, currently a sophomore for CSI, has led the charge for the Golden Eagles. She is averaging 4.07 kills per game while hitting at .375 clip. She also is tallying 2.52 digs, 0.48 aces and 1.35 blocks per game. She leads the Scenic West Athletic Conference (SWAC) in kills, while ranking third in hitting percentage, third in blocks, fourth in aces and ninth in digs per game.

“She will come into our program and immediately be one of the best offensive players in the Big 12,” said OU head coach Santiago Restrepo. “She is the type of athlete that can carry a team and immediately elevate their level of play.”

Restrepo continued, “She is a great blocker with a huge vertical. She is an extremely hard hitter and has great floor knowledge. Eliane has all the skills and will add a lot of physicality, power and speed to our team.”

The first time the coaching staff saw her play was against Pac 10 powerhouse Stanford. Santos dominated the match and paced CSI to the spring season victory.

“We knew immediately that we should pursue this athlete,” said OU assistant coach Steve Loeswick, who attended the match against Stanford. “She is a similar athlete to former Hawaii All-American and AVCA Player-of- the-Year Kim Willoughby.”

Santos gave her verbal commitment to the OU program early this fall.

When Santos arrives next fall she will have two remaining years of eligibility. The OU staff expects to plug her in as a starting middle blocker.

The 22-year old is married to Carlos Santos and the couple has a 3-year old daughter Maria.