Holst From Doyle; Doyle to Holst

Player Profiles
Julia Doyle // Sr. // S Doyle, the 2014 Big 12 Setter of the Year, has started every match for OU over the last four seasons at setter. Against Iowa State in 2014, she set the program-record for assists in a match with 60. This season, she became just the fifth player in program history to reach the 4,000 career assist mark.
Kierra Holst // Sr. // OH Fresh off a program-record 450 kills last season, Holst entered her final season at OU as the Big 12 Preseason Co-Player of the Year. She set the OU record for kills in a match with 32 vs. Iowa State in 2014. After reaching 1,000 career kills in the regular season finale a year ago, she has risen up the leaderboard to 10th all-time at Oklahoma.

Setter/Hitter Combos
Seasons	Setter	Assists	Hitter	Kills
2012-15	Doyle	4,031	Holst	1,202
2008-11	Barker	4,637	Boulavsky	1,331
2003-06	Jackson	3,763	Schmitt	1,730

Oklahoma volleyball players Julia Doyle and Kierra Holst insisted they had no idea why they were the subject of a video segment for SoonerSports.com.

“It was fun to do, but I didn't know what it was about until I walked in,” Doyle said.

Doyle and Holst were chosen because no active Big 12 duo has more career assists and kills.

Doyle recently became the fifth player in OU history to amass 4,000 career assists. Fittingly, it came on a kill from Holst against Kansas State on Oct.16. (Doyle also is entering the school's top 10 in career aces with 114.)

Doyle said she was not aware of her achievement until freshman teammate Alyssa Enneking offered heartfelt congratulations after the match. “Alyssa gave me a hug and said, 'Congrats. I'm so proud of you.' I said, 'Oh, um, thanks,' but I really wasn't sure what she was talking about,” Doyle said with a chuckle. “When I found out what it was about, I was like, 'Oh, well, that's cool.' ”

Holst now ranks 10^th in career kills for the OU program. “I really try not to look at them so much,” Holst said of her killer stats. “I think that would put some pressure on me if I did, so I don't look. I don't think about it.”

These accomplishments have been amassed in four seasons, but the duo also has excelled one match at a time. One such moment came against Iowa State in November last year at McCasland Field House when Doyle dished out 60 assists and Holst collected 32 kills.

“She just knew I was on fire,” Holst said of Doyle. “Even though I didn't have to tell her I wanted the ball, she just knew instinctively.”

As has been the case since they arrived at OU, Doyle and Holst were too caught up in the task at hand to realize records had been shattered.

"I study my hitter's numbers more than my own because mine kind of reflect off theirs. The hitters' numbers are more important to me."
Julia Doyle

“It really doesn't feel like it's that many in the moment,” said Holst, who set a single-season school record with 450 kills last year. “Afterward, if we look at the stats, we're like, 'Oh, my gosh. Wow, that was a lot more than I thought.'”

Doyle admitted she had glanced at the hustle board next to the scoreboard, which keeps track of a player's digs, kills, et al, so she knew Holst was having a special match. “We were like, 'Dang, Kierra's getting up there,' but I didn't realize I had gotten that many assists in that match,” Doyle recalled. “I study my hitter's numbers more than my own because mine kind of reflect off theirs. The hitters' numbers are more important to me.”

Sooners coach Santiago Restrepo certainly has no complaints that two of his greatest players are ignorant of their personal achievements. “I think you shouldn't be looking at your numbers at all,” Restrepo said. “You should just go play and try to get better after each match you play.”

From 2008-11, the Sooners had another successful duo in setter Brianne Barker and outside hitter Suzy Boulavsky, who rank No. 3 and No. 8 in all-time assists and kills, respectively. Other top setters and hitters in 12 seasons under Restrepo include Julie Chester (2004-07), who ranks No. 8 in career assists, plus Sallie McLaurin (2010-13) and Bridget LaPlante (2006-09), who rank No. 7 and No. 13, respectively, in career kills.

Holst (7) and Doyle (2) celebrate a second-set win over No. 2 USC at McCasland Field House on September 17.

Restrepo envisioned lofty numbers while recruiting Doyle and Holst out of high school. Doyle was one of the nation's premier setters and an AVCA Second-Team All-American out of Minnesota and Holst would go on to be named Most Valuable Player while winning the Class 5A state tournament in Texas.

There is a simple explanation why the duo's potential to excel existed at OU: “I am not afraid to start freshmen, to build some of that cohesiveness from the get-go,” Restrepo explained.

Restrepo said he had particular confidence in Doyle. “Oh, yeah. We brought her here to play right away,” Restrepo said. “I think it's extremely special (to not be afraid to play freshmen), and it's good for future recruitment to get people to come here.”

Doyle verbally committed to the Sooners early and Holst followed. They later played against each other in club volleyball during the summer with Doyle's team winning.

"I was just immediately competitive with her in the weight room. I could see what a great athlete she was and I wanted to be like her."
Kierra Holst

Doyle's first impression of Holst: “I thought she was really good. After the game, my dad said, 'That girl. She's going to Oklahoma.' Then we met each other again when we tried out for the national team together. By then we had both committed and that was really fun to play with her during a four-day trial. We would warm up together; get to know each other better.”

Holst's first impression of Doyle: “I remember thinking she's such a great setter. I also remember our first week in college here. I was just immediately competitive with her in the weight room. I could see what a great athlete she was and I wanted to be like her. It's a very sisterly relationship. We draw out the best in one another on the court and off the court. We're not afraid to tell each other what we think and that's something I associate with in my own family. We'll push each other to be better volleyball players and people.”

The duo's freshman season was particularly challenging. Holst alternated between middle hitter and outside hitter due to injuries on the roster, but she has resided at outside hitter the last three seasons.

While Doyle has been a specialist at OU who has honed her craft, Holst has been a combination of go-to killer and utility hitter.

“The good thing about Kierra is she's one of those players who can play multiple positions and that's great for a coach because in any given moment in any given year, something could change and we could just plug her in anywhere and she would be successful. That's Kierra,” Restrepo said.

When things start clicking between setter and hitter, no words need to be spoken, no set needs to be called. Doyle and Holst simply know what the other wants and how to get it. “She can always tell when I want the ball and I can always tell when she's going to give it to me,” said Holst, a sociology major and a nominee for the Senior CLASS Award.

Doyle sets for Holst against Little Rock at the 2014 NIKE Invitational.

“It really is a feel,” Doyle said. “Our first year, we (verbally) communicated a lot. We were getting a feel for each other and tried to get into some sort of rhythm. Now, during our senior year, we hardly have to talk about anything. If she doesn't like a set, she doesn't even have to say, 'I'd like that set to be higher,' lower or anything like that. She just knows that I know.”

An undying confidence resides in each player. “Even after a bad play, I still feel like she's my go-to hitter,” Doyle said of Holst.

With that confidence comes trust. “Trust is a huge factor, and they both have it,” said redshirt-junior outside hitter Madison Ward, who also is moving up the school's career kill chart. “Kierra's been a good go-to player for Julia, and in crunch times. Whenever they get into a rhythm – any good setter and hitter – it just becomes automatic. There's an unreal amount of court awareness. Once you start clicking, it's kind of hard to stop that.”

Having a resilient relationship between setter and hitter never hurts, either. “Oh, that's huge,” Ward said. “It affects you; it affects the team if you're not getting a strong connection with the setter.”

Much like wide receivers often do with their quarterback in football and shooters do with their point guard in basketball, hitters in volleyball have been known to plead for preferential treatment from setters. It's been no different for Doyle.

“We (hitters) all do that, actually,” Ward said with a chuckle. “Whenever we're feeling it, communicating that to Julia is such a key to success. That breeds a lot of confidence all around and that's kind of stuff is pretty contagious.”

These intangibles make for a successful combination and prove it's not solely about each player's talent. “There have been some super talented players at other positions who haven't had the same kind of relationship or that rhythm with one of their teammates,” Doyle said. “I think that is what gets us to that next level. I love playing with Madison, but we don't have that kind of relationship that me and Kierra do. You can kind of sense it on the court that there's just a little bit different feel for when I set Kierra and when I set for someone else. I'll set Madison a little higher because she jumps so high.”

Much was expected from this year's squad after a superb 2014 season that marked the first time in OU history the program had three First-Team All-Big 12 picks.

Doyle became the Sooners' first major award winner since 2011 when she was tabbed last season's Big 12 Setter of the Year. Doyle, Holst and Ward were named First-Team All-Big 12, with Holst and Ward being unanimous selections. All three were preseason All-Big 12 picks prior to this season. Holst was a unanimous all-conference choice and shared preseason Player of the Year honors with Texas middle blocker Chiaka Ogbogu, her former teammate at Coppell (Texas) High School.

Alas, this season has yet to pan out as expected for the Sooners (7-12 overall; 1-6 Big 12). With nine Big 12 matches remaining, the Sooners hope to recapture their winning ways for the postseason.

Restrepo implemented a multiple attack this season, which has cut into the individual stats of Doyle and Holst. OU flowed with a 5-1 offense last season, but the implementation of a 6-2 offense (two setters in Doyle and Audrey Alford) has resulted in a hitting rotation that consists of Kimmy Gardiner (201 kills/538 attempts), Ward (192/524), Holst (185/504), Micaela Spann (166/346) and Marion Hazelwood (139/298).

“It's been tough this year,” Doyle said. “Our coaches are promising it's a process and we'll get through it, but winning is very important to us. Losing this many matches is really hard on us mentally. We need to get back into that mental state we were in last year. We need to become calm and comfortable because that's the type of team we were last year. We were so confident.”

Players Mentioned

Audrey Alford

Julia Doyle

Julia Doyle

Alyssa Enneking

Kimmy Gardiner

Marion Hazelwood

Kierra Holst

Kierra Holst

Micaela Spann

Madison Ward

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