Home Tournament Opens 2016 for OU Volleyball

Oklahoma Invitational
Aug. 26-27 | Norman, Okla. | McCasland Field House

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Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 0-0 Coach: Santiago Restrepo Career Record/Years: 347-224/18 Rank: NR

On the Air
Radio (Sat. Only)	KREF 1400 AM TuneIn Radio App Chris Plank
TV	FCS-Central FSSW (Sat. 12:00 pm) Chris Plank (Fri.) Chad McKee (Sat.) Laura Alford
Stream	FOXSportsGo

Player to Watch
MB-Micaela Spann, Sr. Spann, who has started 90 of a possible 91 matches in her career, hit .362 in 15 home matches for the Sooners a year ago. Overall, she averaged 2.18 kills and 1.01 blocks per set; all career bests.

Home Openers Since '04
2015	Little Rock	W, 3-0
2014	CSUN	W, 3-2
2013	Arkansas	W, 3-0
2012	Missouri State	W, 3-1
2011	SMU	W, 3-0
2010	Wichita State	L, 0-3
2009	Missouri	W, 3-1
2008	Michigan State	W, 3-1
2007	Denver	W, 3-0
2006	Arkansas	L, 2-3
2005	Texas-Arlington	W, 3-0
2004	Oral Roberts	W, 3-0

NORMAN, Okla. – The University of Oklahoma volleyball team kicks off the 2016 season at home as it hosts its first of two early season tournaments. The Sooners open play in the Oklahoma Invitational Friday night at 7 p.m. against intrastate rival Oral Roberts. The action continues from McCasland Field House on Saturday with OU taking on UTEP at 12 p.m. and UMKC at 7 p.m.

Oklahoma finished the 2015 season by winning four of its final five matches, but managed just a 12-16 overall record and 6-10 mark in the Big 12. The Sooners had a string of six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances snapped, but look to bounce back here in 2016. Junior middle blocker Marion Hazelwood returns after her second AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and was All-Big 12 First Team a year ago. She hit .348 with a 2.12 kills and 1.09 blocks per set average. Redshirt-senior outside hitter Madison Ward was an All-Big 12 First Team pick two seasons ago and despite hitting just .202 in 2015 led Oklahoma with 2.95 and 2.60 digs per set. Senior outside hitter Kimmy Gardiner led the team with 10 double-doubles a year ago as she averaged 2.48 kills and 2.48 digs per set.

Oral Roberts went 14-16 last season with an 8-8 record in the Summit League. Outside hitter Laura Milos is an offensive force having averaged 5.07 kills per set with a .237 hitting percentage in 2015. She averaged 2.60 digs per set and led the team with 54 service aces. Lucija Bojanjac returns to run the offense at setter after averaging 10.71 assists and 2.47 digs per set. Defensively, libero Tori Roe returns after leading ORU with 3.33 digs per set and middle hitter Megan Doran is back after leading the front line with 0.88 blocks per set.

UTEP went 9-23 overall and 3-13 in Conference-USA last season. The Miners lost their top two hitters and will look to Dalainee Perry to shoulder the load offensively after she posted 2.40 kills and 1.62 digs per set a year ago. Oklahoma swept UTEP in El Paso last year; 25-23, 25-17, 25-14. Alyssa Enneking registered the first double-double of her career with 10 kill and 10 digs. The match marked the first meeting between the two programs. The Sooners' weekend finale against UMKC will mark the first meeting between the two sides. The Kangaroos finished at 15-13 overall with a 7-7 WAC record. Like UTEP, UMKC's top returning offensive weapon finished third on the team in kills last season with Madison Mosier averaging 2.67 per set with a .310 attack rate.

Season Openers

Oklahoma is 20-22 all-time in season openers following a 3-1 setback to No. 9 Florida State (8/28) in Boulder, Colo.. The Sooners are now 9-3 in season-opening matches since the arrival of Restrepo in 2004.

Doubling Up

Kimmy Gardiner led Oklahoma with 10 double-doubles on the season. Madison Ward was second on OU with nine. As a team, the Sooners were second in the conference with 30 total double-doubles. Kansas State led the league with 47 as a team. Oklahoma finished first in the league with the most players to record a double-double at seven, six of whom return for 2016.

In the Middle

Middle blockers Marion Hazelwood and Micaela Spann hit a collective .332 overall and .317 in Big 12 play. Against conference opponents they combined to average 4.68 kills per set, which ranked second among the league's middle blocker duos. Texas' Chiaka Ogbogu and Molly McCage averaged a league-best 4.85 kills per set among middle blockers.

Open House

The Sooners hold a 28-14 record all-time in home openers and are 10-2 under Restrepo. A sweep of Little Rock marked the fifth year in a row OU won its home opener.