Tournament Play Starts 2014 for Sooners

NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma's 2014 regular season gets underway with a three-match weekend at the Active Ankle Challenge, hosted by Florida. The Sooners open the season at 10:00 am on Friday against Idaho followed by a 5:00 pm contest against Georgia Southern. The action wraps up with a 2:30 pm tilt with the host Gators on Saturday afternoon.

1^st Rotation – About the Sooners

Oklahoma is coming off a 24-8 campaign in 2013 and its fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Winners of their last five regular season matches, the Sooners finished third in the Big 12 standings. OU returns five starters from a year ago, including junior setter Julia Doyle. She led an offense that hit a collective .246 with 9.49 assists per set. Junior outside hitter Kierra Holst, who along with Doyle is a Preseason All-Big 12 selection, averaged 2.98 kills per set last season, the highest average among returning players.

2^nd Rotation – Scouting the Field

The Sooners face a tough group in the season's first weekend as the three opponents combined to go 75-21 in 2013. Florida, ranked fifth, and Georgia Southern each appeared in last season's NCAA Tournament. Both teams were knocked out by Florida State at the regional hosted by the Gators. Florida enters the season ranked No. 10 in the AVCA Coaches Preseason Poll after a 28-4 record in 2013. The Sooners sit two spots out of the poll after receiving 114 points.

3^rd Rotation – Season Openers

Oklahoma improved to 19-21 all-time in season openers with a 3-0 win over Milwaukee at the Holiday Inn West Invitational, hosted by Western Michigan on August 30, 2013. The Sooners are now 8-2 in season-opening matches since the arrival of Restrepo in 2004.

4^th Rotation – Against the Field

Overall, the Sooners are 2-4 against the field. Oklahoma is 2-2 against Idaho, 0-2 against Florida and will face Georgia Southern for the first time. The Sooners lost both ends of a home-and-home with the Vandals in 1992 and 1994, but pulled out wins in a home-and-home in 2006 and 2007. The Gators have twice won by way of the sweep in Gainesville, 1995 and 2007.

5^th Rotation – Preseason Polls

Following an 11-5 record and third place finish in the Big 12, Oklahoma was picked fourth in the preseason poll. Texas, the defending champion, was the unanimous top pick followed by Kansas and Iowa State. In the AVCA Coaches Preseason Poll, the Sooners received 114 points and sat just two spots out of the Top-25 to start the season.

6^th Rotation – Senioritis

Setter and defensive specialist Kaitlyn Drawe is the lone senior on the 2014 Sooner squad. She arrived in Norman as part of a class of four incoming freshmen, but thanks in large part to injuries has been whittled down to one. After playing sparingly in her first two seasons, Drawe proved versatile for OU in 2013 as the back-up setter as well as a defensive specialist. She has appeared in 69 sets in her career with 144 assists and 109 digs.

Bonus - Active Assists Leader

Doyle enters the season as the Big 12's active career assists leader with 2,205, six ahead of Texas Tech's Emily Ruetter. Through just two seasons, she ranks eighth all-time at Oklahoma and trails Julie Chester for seventh at 2,794.