Volleyball Heads To Alabama Tournament

NORMAN, Okla. - Last weekend the Sooner volleyball program got off to an impressive start after defeating TCU, 3-1, in the season opener in Fort Worth, Texas. Now, it's time for Oklahoma to look towards tournament action as it participates in the Hampton Inn Bama Bash in Tuscaloosa, Ala., Sept. 2-3. Oklahoma looks to maintain its perfect record (7-0) in tournaments under second-year head coach Santiago Restrepo.

Oklahoma's first challenge in the tournament will come against the Indiana Hoosiers Friday morning at 10 a.m. Following the IU match, the Sooners will complete their doubleheader against NCAA qualifier Loyola at 4:30 p.m. Rounding out the tournament will be a Saturday, Sept. 3 match up with host school Alabama at 1:30 p.m.

Live stats of the entire tournament will be available through Alabama's Web site, www.rolltide.com.

Game Notes (PDF) | Statistics

Scouting Indiana
The Indiana Hoosiers enter the Oklahoma contest with a young record of 1-1 after claiming a 3-0 win against Indiana State and dropping a 3-2 match to Western Kentucky this past weekend in the IU Credit Union Invitational. The match up will be the Hoosiers' road opener and they have had much success in their opening road match. IU has produced an overall record of 10-2 under current head coach Katie Weismiller in road openers and has won the last three straight.

Friday's match up will mark only the third time both schools have met, with Indiana claiming the advantage 2-0. Currently, the Hoosiers are hitting .243 through their two games this season while the Sooners hit at a .278 in their lone match this year.

Individually, freshman outside hitter Erica Short leads the Hoosiers in kills with 3.50 per game while senior right side hitter Rachel Gerling has produced 3.38 kills per game while also contributing defensively, averaging a team-high 2.88 digs per game.

Scouting Loyola - Chicago
OU and Loyola-Chicago will meet up for the only the second time in history (OU leads 1-0) to complete the final half of the doubleheader Friday night. The Ramblers will be making their season debut at the Bama Bash after finishing as Horizon League Tournament Champions in 2004 and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.

Loyola returns five starters from the 2004 squad and has been chosen preseason to finish third in the Horizon League. The Ramblers lost their top offensive producer to graduation, but senior middle blocker Hilary Stromath returns to the Loyola lineup after averaging 3.14 kills per game in 2004. Loyola's top defensive player, junior libero Ann Deelo (3.88 DPG) will also be back in action for the Ramblers this season.

Scouting Alabama
Host school Alabama returns to the Hampton Inn Bama Bash as the two-time defending tournament champions (2003, 2004). The Crimson Tide is off to a 1-1 start after dropping a 3-0 decision to Big 12 school, Kansas, before turning around and sweeping Missouri-Kansas City this past weekend.

Alabama leads a well-balanced offensive attack with two sophomore outside hitters, Bridget Fuentez and Crystal Hudson, headlining the lineup. Currently, Fuentez and Hudson are averaging 3.67 KPG and 3.50 KPG, respectively, while fellow sophomore setter Brigitte Slack is contributing 14.0 assists per game.

The key, defensively, for the Crimson Tide is senior defensive specialist, Jessica Yearout, who is averaging 4.50 digs per game followed by Fuentez's 3.33 DPG.

Upcoming
Oklahoma will host its home opener next Wednesday, Sept. 7 inside the newly remodeled Howard McCasland Field House at 7 p.m. against UT-Arlington. UTA leads the series 26-11, but the Sooners have won the last two out of three. The Sooners are 1-0 in home openers with head coach Santiago Restrepo at the helm.

Schmitt Sets New Career Mark
It only took her one match into the 2005 season to break the rally-scoring career record in digs for the Sooners. Junior Joanna Schmitt, a preseason All Big 12 selection, set the new career bench mark of 622 digs after collecting a team-high 13 digs in her first outing of the season.

The Cottage Grove, Wis., native already owns the rally-scoring career mark in kills with a current tally of 948 and two more seasons ahead of her.

Additionally, Schmitt is on pace to break the rally-scoring aces mark (73) and needs only 18 more to do so. Schmitt led the team in aces in 2004 after recording 20 over the course of last season.

Adams Tops in the Big 12
After the first full weekend of play for the Big 12 schools, senior middle blocker Jennifer Adams ranks at the top of the list among all Big 12 players in hitting percentage. The California native went 8-for-13 (with one error) against TCU for a .538 clip.

Adams was one of three Sooners ranked in the top 15 in hitting percentage for the weekend. Sophomore Anna Stadel hit at a .417 clip and ranked ninth in the Big 12 while junior Laura Tomes earned a .400 hitting percentage which was good for a 13th-ranked showing in the Big 12 this past weekend.

Big 12 Domination
With nine of the 11 Big 12 volleyball teams competing this past weekend, it was a good test to see where the Big 12 stood among other conferences.

The conference did not disappoint.

Over the weekend the conference posted an overall mark of 16-2, including going 49-7 in actual games. Currently, the Big 12 boasts four teams (Nebraska, Texas, Texas A&M and Missouri) in the AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll with two others (Kansas and Kansas State) receiving votes. Big Red rival Nebraska is tops among the group with a No. 1 overall national ranking.

Big 12 vs. Conferences (week of 8/25)
1-0 Atlantic 10
0-1 Conference USA
1-0 Independent Division
1-0 Metro Atlantic
1-0 Mid-Continent
2-1 Missouri Valley
1-0 Mountain West
1-0 Pac-10
1-0 Patriot
1-0 Southeastern
2-0 Southland
1-0 Southwestern Atlantic
1-0 Sun Belt
2-0 Western Atlantic

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Volleyball Heads To Alabama Tournament

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