Sooners Host NIKE Invitational

NIKE Invitational
Sept. 8-10 | Norman, Okla. | McCasland Field House

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FSOK/FCS-Central

SoonerSports.tv

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Oklahoma Sooners
Record: 7-0 Coach: Santiago Restrepo Career Record/Years: 354-224/18 Rank: RV

On the Air
TV	FSOK FCS-Central Chad McKee Laura Alford
Stream	FOXSportsGo SoonerSports.tv Chris Plank (Sat.)

Player to Watch
OH-Kimmy Gardiner, Sr. In each of the two prior tournaments, Gardiner has been named Most Outstanding Player. She is averaging 3.55 kills and 3.14 digs per set; both of which rank second on the team.

Sooners in the NCAA Top-100
Stat	Player	##	Rank
Assists	Alford	315	2
Assists/Set	Alford	12.60	2
Blocks	Hazelwood	29	51
Blocks/Set	Hazelwood	1.53	19
Hit Pct.	Spann	.513	4
Hit Pct.	Gardiner	.408	39
Hit Pct.	Hazelwood	.382	73
Points/Set	Ward	4.31	97

NORMAN, Okla. – The University of Oklahoma volleyball team returns home to host its second tournament of the early part of the 2016 slate. The Sooners welcome Texas at San Antonio, Ohio and Lamar to McCasland Field House. The action gets underway Thursday, September 8 at 7 p.m.

Oklahoma remains unbeaten after running through the UALR Tournament with four wins to push its record to 7-0. The Sooners' record marks to best to start a season since beginning 2004, the first under head coach Santiago Restrepo, at 8-0. Oklahoma currently leads the nation in hitting percentage at .368 with senior middle blocker Micaela Spann leading the team at .513; which ranks third in the country. Four OU hitters are among the top 10 in hitting percentage in the Big 12. Spann is averaging 2.27 kills and 0.64 blocks per set. Redshirt-senior outside hitter Madison Ward leads the OU attack with 3.72 kills per set on a .356 attack rate to go with 1.61 digs and 0.72 blocks per set. Senior outside hitter Kimmy Gardiner claimed her second tournament Most Outstanding Player in as many weeks at Little Rock this past weekend. She is averaging 3.55 kills and 3.14 digs per set, while hitting .408.

UTSA opened the season 3-0 at the SMU Doubletree Classic, but fell in three matched at the American Campus Classic in Austin, but managed to push Miami to five set in the process. Entering the weekend at 3-3 overall, outside hitter Dajana Boskovic leads the Roadrunners with 4.28 kills per set to go with 2.67 digs per set. Setter Jessica Waldrip is averaging 9.33 assists and second with 2.39 digs per set. Ohio, coming off a 25-8 season and a spot in the NCAA Tournament, is 2-5 on the season after a pair of wins at the Wofford Invitational. Outside hitter Mallory Salis is first on the Bobcat attack with 3.40 kills per set and second on defense with 2.93 digs per set. Libero Brooke Coleman is averaging 4.24 digs per set. Setters Stephanie Olman and Katelyn Burke have split the duties evenly with Olman holding a slight advantage at 7.86 assists per set. Lamar is winless on the season at 0-6; having been swept three times and pushed its opponent to five on three occasions. The Cardinals are hitting just .122 this season, while opponents are hitting at a .280 clip. Outside hitter Chelsea Grant leads the Lamar attack with 3.38 kills per set. Libero Lauren Stahlman is first on the defensive side of the ball with 2.19 digs per set.

Promotions

Thursday night features $1 hot dogs and $1 soft drinks as well as $4 admission for all University of Oklahoma alumni. Friday is "First Responders Appreciation Night". All first responders (police, fire and rescue and EMT) are eligible for $4 admission as well as free popcorn and soft drinks. Fans with a ticket to Saturday's OU vs. ULM football game can show their ticket to receive $4 admission as well. Saturday's match vs. Lamar will be the first "Fan Appreciation" match of the season with free admission for all fans in attendance.

Player of the Week

Audrey Alford had a record-setting weekend and was named to the UALR All-Tournament Team before earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on September 5. The award marked the third of her career after winning Big 12 Rookie of the Week on November 16 and 23 of last season.

Couple Hundred Here, Couple Hundred There

On September 3, Kimmy Gardiner surpassed 1,000 career kills in a four-year career that has spanned across two universities. As a freshman in 2013, Gardiner tallied 399 kills at Mississippi State. She later tallied her 601st kill as a Sooner and the 1,000th combined kill of her career in a five-set win for OU over her former team at the UALR Tournament. Gardiner enters the weekend with 1,018 career kills.

Keepin' it 100

Entering the week, Oklahoma leads the NCAA with a .368 hitting percentage and ranks in the top 10 in assists and kills. Setter Audrey Alford is tops amongst OU individuals; ranking second in the nation with 12.60 assists per set and 315 total assists.

Promotions

Player of the Week

Couple Hundred Here, Couple Hundred There

Keepin' it 100

Players Mentioned

Audrey Alford

Kimmy Gardiner

Kimmy Gardiner

Micaela Spann

Madison Ward

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics