Volleyball Season Preview: Part One

New head coach Santiago Restrepo has given the Oklahoma volleyball program a face lift since he took over in January. Now the real work begins as the Sooners hit training camp and begin preparation for a the 2004 season. Today is the first in a four-part preview of the upcoming season, which begins at the Holiday Inn/University of Texas-Pan American Invitational on Sept. 3.

DREAM BIG
It makes sense that the theme for the 2004 Oklahoma volleyball season is 'Dream Big'.

Look at the big man in charge of the new look program. Santiago Restrepo, hired in January to lead the Sooners back to regional and national prominence, is an intimidating presence in stature and tone. He doesn't mince words and he isn't afraid of the challenge ahead of him.

His goal for the 2004 season is big. Restrepo is aiming at finishing in the top-half of the Big 12 conference. That's a huge step for a program that stumbled to a last place finish and 3-17 conference record last season.

While Restrepo likes the talent that fills out the 14 spots on his 2004 roster, he believes their success will not be determined by athletic ability.

"Everyone in this league is talented," said Restrepo. "Many are more talented on paper than us. That is why we are going to outwork everyone else in this league. From the staff to the players, we are going to work our tails off to be the best prepared team in the league."

It doesn't stop with just conditioning. Restrepo is a product of the volleyball hot-bed of South America, where the cultural following is only bested by soccer.

Restrepo has a passion for volleyball that has been ingrained since childhood and he is working to develop that with his OU team.

"From day one I have tried to establish a new attitude in this program," said Restrepo. "There is a major difference between loving to play the sport and having passion. I want my teams to fight tooth and nail every second they are on the court. Don't back down and when things get tough, turn it up another level. It all boils down to having more heart than your opponent."

"I think my training program helps develop this attitude. They will battle through mental and physical obstacles in practice that will be tougher than live matches. The players that show the most fight, will be out on the court and I know they will be prepared."

His blueprint worked at University of St. Louis (as an assistant) and more recently at Southern Mississippi, who had the best season in program history in 2003.

With groundwork laid and the plans being put into place, here is a preview of the 2004 team by position:

OUTSIDE HITTERS
The position preview starts at outside hitter because that is were the OU offense begins -- in the person of Joanna Schmitt. Schmitt will take on the role of team leader as just a sophomore and it is something she is relishing.

"Joanna was the vocal leader of this team in the spring and she wasn't even playing because of her shoulder injury," said Restrepo.

Schmitt, a 2003 finalist for Big 12 Freshman of the Year, is fully recovered from offseason shoulder surgery that was the bi-product of 1,380 swings (550 more than anyone else on team) as a freshman. Schmitt, who was one of the biggest hitters in the Big 12, didn't lose much velocity and will again be the first option on offense. The new head coach will cut down her swings but will still rely on her as the go-to attacker.

The battle for the No. 2 spot on the left side will come down to returning junior Sheena Werling and junior-transfer Gabriela Tonon. Werling was second on the 2003 squad with 2.68 kills per game and is more than capable of claiming the starting nod.

"Sheena made some good strides in spring ball as an outside hitter," said Restrepo. "She has always been athletic, but she really began to fine tune her skills as an outside hitter during spring."

Tonon is a native of Brazil, who played juco ball at Hutchinson (Kansas) Community College as a sophomore. The 6-3 outside is a wildcard because of her presence and playing background. Tonon teamed with Brazilian Olympic players before moving to the states for college and has a tremendous amount of court savvy. The smoothness of her transition to the Division I game will be the deciding factor in the starting battle between the juniors.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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