Volleyball: Santiago Restrepo Q&A

NORMAN, Okla. The Oklahoma volleyball team officially reported to campus Monday afternoon for the beginning of its preseason workouts.

The Sooners begin team practice on Tuesday and will have three weeks of preparation before their season-opening tournament, the Sooner Legends Nike Invitational (Aug. 25-26), held at the Howard McCasland Field House. OU will face Arkansas at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 25 in its first match of the year.

OU fans will have the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the Sooners at their annual Crimson and Cream scrimmage and clinic on Saturday, Aug. 19.

With the anticipation of a new volleyball season beginning, head coach Santiago Restrepo sat down with SoonerSports.com to add his insight on the upcoming year.
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Is there a lot of anticipation for the home tournament Aug. 25-26?
We are excited about hosting our own tournament this year in the opening weekend of volleyball at the McCasland Field House. We want to turn this into an annual thing on opening weekend so it doesn't conflict with football or anything else and gives our fans a great opportunity to watch some good volleyball.

The Sooner Legends Nike Invitational is going to be a huge challenge for us right away because all three of our opponents are in the top of their conference every year and have NCAA Tournament experience. The tough competition will be a great test for our team . This is going to be a very crucial non-conference tournament for our squad.

Who are you depending upon to take on a leadership role this season?
There is no question that it will be the senior group that I expect to step it up this season. With five seniors, it's the largest senior class I've had since I've been at Oklahoma. They will be a huge factor in our leadership this season and I'm excited to watch these girls step up to the challenge.

How significant is the non-conference portion of the schedule?
I look at non-conference as the building block to the season and an essential learning time for our team and our coaches. This season we have so many tough opponents on our schedule so it will be a great challenge for our squad. Each tournament will show us where we are and give us the option of inserting our newcomers at different spots in the lineup so we can figure out what works best for us.

What is something you emphasized to your team during the spring?
I always have high expectations for my team and my main concern this year is taking it one match at a time, even one point at a time. You can't get very far if you don't focus on the task at hand and I drilled into our girls in the spring that they must concentrate on that exact moment during the match and not worry about the next point, next game or next opponent.

What is the biggest position battle heading into the season?
There is no doubt that our setters, Julie Chester and Rachel Jackson, will be competing extremely hard in the preseason to win the starting spot. We have two great setters so it's going to be a very good competition. I expect both of them to make each other better heading into the season.

Preseason All-Big 12 Team

What are the biggest strengths of this squad?
Our biggest advantage heading into the 2006 season is that we have a team that is very familiar with the system and with each other. We have starters returning at every position so our chemistry should be a huge benefit this season.

What specific elements did the team work on in the offseason?
I emphasized to our squad during the spring that we really needed to improve on our passing and serving. During spring competition our team really stepped it up and I was very pleased with our progress in those categories. I'm also looking for our team to improve on blocking this season.

Did any specific player really impress you in the spring?
Laura Tomes was outstanding in the spring. She had knee surgery prior to last season and has worked so hard on getting her legs into great shape. She has improved her game tremendously as far as knowing when and where to hit.

What will each newcomer bring to the court this season?
Mariana Blum is a well-polished player and is a well-rounded player with impressive skills. Her strong toss-spin jump serve will be an added bonus and her arm swing will really complement the offense.

Francie Ekwerekwu is player that has great potential at the University of Oklahoma. She has incredible court presence and a great demeanor and attitude when she plays. She is an incredible jumper which allows her to be a dangerous blocker and hitter.

Bridget Laplante will bring great leadership skills to the squad. She served as captain for one of the top volleyball clubs in the country. She will be a great addition to our program and give us strong depth at the outside position.

What will the fans be excited to see this season?
There is going to be some great competition going on at the McCasland Field House this season. Night in and night out, we are going to face some exceptional teams challenging the Oklahoma Sooners. Also, we have a squad of girls that would run through a wall so it will be really exciting to see them get after it out on the court this season. The fans will see a much-improved squad with a class of newcomers that are very talented and fun to watch.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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