Volleyball Season Opens Friday in Colorado

Omni Classic
Aug. 28-29 | Coors Events Center | Boulder, Colo.

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Team-By-Team Comparison
Team	2014	Postseason
OU	20-11	First Round
FSU	30-3	Sweet 16
USD	19-12	First Round
COL	20-14	Second Round

Player to Watch
Kierra Holst // Sr. // OH At the end of 2014, Holst joined the Sooners' 1,000-kill club in the regualr season finale. She enters her senior season as the Big 12 Preseason Co-Player of the Year. Holst set an OU single-season record with 450 kills a year ago' averaging 3.75 per set.

Home Opener
Oklahoma vs. Little Rock Thursday, September 3 The Sooners come home for the opening match of the NIKE Invitational against Little Rock at McCasland Field House. TICKETS

NORMAN, Okla. – Oklahoma volleyball kicks off the 2015 season at the Omni Classic, hosted by Colorado. The action gets underway against No. 9 Florida State Friday at 5:00 pm. On Saturday, the Sooners take on San Diego at 11:00 am and No. 24 Colorado at 8:00 pm.

Oklahoma is coming off a 20-11 season, the fifth 20-win season in a row, and a sixth-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Senior setter Julia Doyle returns as a four-year starter after posting a career-best 10.63 assists per set as a junior. On the pins, senior Kierra Holst and redshirt-junior Madison Ward will be looked to for offensive production consistently. Holst set the Sooner record for kills in a single season during the 25-point, rally-scoring era at 450; averaging 3.75. Ward was second on the team in kills and digs with 3.08 and 2.44 per set. On the back row, senior Taylor Migliazzo looks to lock down the libero position for the third season in a row. She led Oklahoma with 3.65 digs per set in 2014. As a team, the Sooners hit a collective .259, while holding opponents to .228.

The Sooners enter the regular season after being tabbed third in the Big 12 Coaches' Preseason Poll. Third is Oklahoma's highest poll position since being tied for third with Iowa State in 2011. Overall, the Sooners collected 49 points; trailing Texas (64) and the Cyclones (53).

Scouting the Field

No. 9 Florida State is fresh off a run to the Sweet 16 as the six-seed in last season's NCAA Tournament. The Seminoles went 30-3 after winning their first 22 matches of the season. Their losses came to BYU and ACC opponents Duke and UNC; common opponents of the Sooners in 2014. San Diego exited the tournament in the first round following a Sweet 16 appearance in 2013. Overall, the Toreros posted a 19-12 mark. No. 24 Colorado reached the second round with a 20-14 record after getting knocked out by in-state rival Colorado State. The Buffaloes also reached the second round in 2013.

Old Foes

The Oklahoma and Colorado programs are familiar with one another as former Big 12 opponents. However, the team's last met in 2010; two seasons before the current senior classes arrived on campus. The Buffs lead the all-time series, 35-19, but the Sooners have won nine of the last 10 matches dating back to 2006. Oklahoma swept the 2009 and 2010 season series with Colorado without relinquishing a set.

ACC Match-Ups

The Sooners went 2-2 against ACC opponents a year ago with wins over Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. All-time, Oklahoma is 11-9 against the ACC and a collective 16-13 against teams currently affiliated with the ACC. The Sooners are 1-2 against FSU with the last meeting coming in 2010 in Houston. Oklahoma's lone win against the Seminoles was in 1979 in Orlando, Fla.