No. 22 OU Sweeps Denver in Opener

Aug. 24, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. - The No. 22 Oklahoma volleyball team got off to a good start to 2007 as it swept Denver (30-25, 30-21, 30-24) in its opening game of the season. OU knocked off the Pioneers, 3-0, in front of 500 fans at the Sooner Legends Nike Invitational on Friday night inside the Howard McCasland Field House.

"There are always things to improve on, especially in the opening game of the season, but I liked our aggressiveness tonight," head coach Santiago Restrepo said. "We really need to work on our blocking and we need to realize that our biggest strength is our defense and we don't need to force things. Overall, I was pleased with our effort and was happy to see so many fans out supporting us in our opening weekend."

Led by seniors Mariana Blum, Sarah Weiland and Anna Stadel, the Sooner offense was consistent with a .336 hitting percentage. Weiland, one of only two starters returning from last year's squad, recorded a match-high 15 kills and only added two errors for a .650 hitting percentage.

Stadel was unstoppable at the net as she notched 13 kills with no errors while Blum, who saw limited action last season, started all three games and added 14 kills.

Defensively, the seniors were also a factor. Senior setter Julie Chester, who aided the offense with 46 assists, led the squad with 11 digs on the defensive side of the ball while Blum also added eight digs.

Sophomore Bridget Laplante returned in her starting role and collected nine digs for the Sooner defense while libero Hannah Sharp added 10 digs from the back row.

Francie Ekwerekwu, a redshirt freshman, started in her collegiate debut and added seven kills while true freshmen Samantha Arriaran and Chrissy Disarro also saw their first court time as a Sooner. The two rookies subbed in a few times each game during serves, but did not record any offensive or defensive stats.

"There is really no better way for the freshmen to learn then to just get them court time and put them in actual situations and that is what I was trying to do tonight,"
Restrepo said.

Oklahoma fans can get a double dose of the Sooners on Saturday, the final day of action at the Sooner Legends Nike Invitational. OU will take on Seton Hall (0-1) at 10 a.m. and close out the tournament with a 7 p.m. meeting against Alabama (1-0) Saturday night.

All of OU's matches will be broadcast live on Oklahoma All-Access while live stats will also be available for each match.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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