Sooners Set for 2017 Volleyball Season

August 21, 2017 | Volleyball

By: Athletics Communications

University of Oklahoma volleyball junior setter Audrey Alford (Norman, Okla.) assumed the starting role fulltime late in her freshman season and held on to it throughout all of her sophomore campaign in 2016. A year older and more experienced, she is joined by junior setter Morgan Miller (Magnolia, Texas), one of seven newcomers and a transfer from Louisville who provides the Sooners the ability to run a 5-1 or 6-2 offense as a setter or swinging from the right side.

Roster Breakdown
SETTER will be anchored by returner Audrey Alford and joined by transfer Morgan Miller, opening OU to the possibility of running a 6-2 offense. OUTSIDE HITTER is one of OU's more experienced positions with Preseason All-Big 12 pick Madison Drescher and OU's leader in kills from 2016 Alyssa Enneking swinging from both pins. MIDDLE BLOCKER position are up for grabs with the departure of two All-Big 12 selections from a year ago and rookie Paige Anderson looks to secure a spot immediately. DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS returning to OU's back row include the Sooners' lone senior, Emma Kelly, and incumbent libero Rachel Manriquez.
Preseason All-Big 12
OH-Madison Drescher, Jr. Drescher averaged 1.79 kills per set in 2016 and twice knocked down a season-high 15 kills in a match; leading to her being voted a Preseason All-Big 12 pick by the league's coaches.

The two junior setters will manage an OU offense that figures to feature a mix of junior hitters and a new crop of freshman attackers. Defensive specialist Emma Kelly (Houston, Texas) is the only senior on the 2017 Oklahoma roster; the second time in the last four years that the Sooners have had just one senior. Alford, fellow junior Madison Drescher (Southlake, Texas) and redshirt-junior Rachel Manriquez (Edmond, Okla.) have also assumed leadership roles as captains for this season.

Alford totaled 1,197 assists last season, finishing second in the Big 12 with an 11.29 assists per set average. She has two full years of working with hitters like Drescher and junior Alyssa Enneking (League City, Texas). Alford's numbers improved with increased playing time from her freshman to sophomore season as she collected seven double-doubles and in back-to-back matches set Sooner records for assists in a four- and five-set match during the 25-point rally-scoring era.

“Audrey knows how to set everyone,” claimed 14th-year head coach Santiago Restrepo. “She has gotten a lot quicker and is working on better communicating and learning how to work on set locations with our new players.”

Miller brings two seasons of Division I experience to the Sooner lineup after her time with the Cardinals, which included an ACC Championship. She appeared in just four matches as a freshman in 2015 before playing in 100 sets across 29 matches a year ago. Miller averaged 1.97 kills and 1.67 assists in 2016. While practicing primarily as a setter, the left-handed Miller will also factor in to Restrepo's plans as a hitter on the right side.

“Morgan is an opposite and setter with great experience,” said Restrepo. “She has gelled well with the team quickly. As a setter, she runs a fast offense, which opens up the possibility for us to run a 6-2.”

On the outside, Alford and Miller's primary pin-hitter targets will be Drescher and Enneking. Drescher is a Preseason All-Big 12 selection. The 6-foot-2 outside hitter, averaged 1.79 kills per set and hit .199 in 90 sets. Enneking, who stands at 5-foot-11, expanded her playing time from 19 sets as a freshman to 92 as a sophomore and proved valuable on both sides of the ball. She totaled seven double-doubles and was first on the team with 2.99 kills, lifting her average to 3.13 in Big 12 play, and second in digs at 2.42 per set.

“I think Drescher and Enneking are ready to step up to the challenge,” stated Restrepo. “They will be relied upon a lot.”

Both Drescher and Enneking have been developing over the last two years for a greater role in the OU offense. Despite Enneking leading the Sooners in kills as a sophomore, she was expected to have served in a greater utility role in 2016. Drescher and Enneking have spent the last two seasons learning behind veterans such as Kimmy Gardiner and Madison Ward, both of whom had injury-riddled senior seasons, which forced Drescher and Enneking into a larger roles.

OU VOLLEYBALL BROADCASTS
Date	Opponent	Outlet
Aug. 25	Seton Hall	SS.tv*/KREF
Aug. 26	Northwestern St.	FSOK/KREF
Aug. 26	Colorado	FSOK/KREF
Sept. 20	Kansas State	SSTV/KREF
Oct. 4	Texas Tech	SSTV/KREF
Oct. 7	Kansas	SS.tv
Oct. 22	Texas	ESPN2
Oct. 28	Baylor	SS.tv
Nov. 4	West Virginia	SS.tv
Nov. 15	Iowa State	SS.tv*/KREF
Nov. 25	TCU	SS.tv
	*-SS.tv exclusive

Also returning at outside hitter is sophomore Erin Dibble (Frisco, Texas). Another lefty that gives Restrepo a second option on the right side, the 6-foot-2 Dibble appeared in 41 sets over 20 matches with five starts as a freshman. She hit .218 and totaled 34 kills with 21 digs and 17 blocks.

Entering the fold at outside hitter from this year's freshman class are 6-foot-1 Sarah Maras (Tulsa, Okla.) and 6-foot-4 Sarah Sanders (Plano, Texas). Both are expected to provide valuable rotations as true freshman. Maras, a home school student, honed her skills with TULSA NOAH in the prep ranks and spent her club career between Club One and Oklahoma Peak Performance. Sanders was an All-District Second Team selection as Plano West last year. She is fresh off an Open Division National Championship with Texas Advantage Volleyball this past summer.

Oklahoma's youth will be most evident at middle blocker this season after losing All-Big 12 picks Marion Hazelwood, a three-time All-American, and Micaela Spann. Redshirt-junior Leslie Atherton (Tulsa, Okla.) brings the most experience to the group, but in three years with the Sooners has only appeared in 12 sets. Last season, she totaled 16 kills and hit .600 in limited action, but did make her first two career starts.

Freshmen Paige Anderson (McKinney, Texas) and Katherine Cashman (Flower Mound, Texas) have been added at middle blocker for this season. The 6-foot-2 Anderson teamed up with Sanders to win a National Championship this past summer and was an All-District First Team pick while playing at McKinney Boyd. She figures to anchor the middle blocker position for OU as a rookie. Cashman, standing 6-foot-2, was All-District Second Team in 2016 at Flower Mound and will compete with Atherton for the second middle blocker position.

The senior member of Oklahoma's back row, Kelly is one of four defensive specialists on this season's roster. In her career, she has appeared in 69 matches over the last three seasons. Kelly has totaled 271 digs, averaging a career-best 1.51 in 2016. Returning to the back line alongside Kelly is Manriquez. She claimed the libero position midway through her first season at OU as a redshirt-freshman in 2015. Last season, Manriquez was ninth in the Big 12 with 3.27 digs per set. In two seasons, she has totaled 542 digs in 198 sets.

Competing for rotations right away will be freshman defensive specialist Kira Morikawa (Honolulu). Morikawa player her prep volleyball at the Punahuo School and spent eight seasons of club with the Ku'ikahi Volleyball Club. Adding depth on the Sooner back row is junior Valerie Woody (Rowlett, Texas), who has spent two seasons as a reserve for OU and appeared in her only career match as a freshman in 2015.

Restrepo and the Sooners will be without a pair of players due to injury concerns this season. Sophomore Morgan Turner (Edmond, Okla.), a setter and outside hitter, suffered through a litany of injuries in both the fall and spring of her freshman campaign and will likely be sidelined for all of 2017. Freshman middle blocker Hali'a Hogan (Keneohe, Hawaii) arrived in Norman for her first collegiate preseason in August as a candidate to start alongside Anderson, but suffered a torn ACL in her first week of practice.

Oklahoma opens the 2017 season at home with its annual NIKE Invitational as Seton Hall comes to McCasland Field House for opening night on Friday, August 25. The Sooners also host Northwestern State and former Big 12 rival Colorado that weekend. The home slate continues with the Big 12 opener at home on Wednesday, September 20 when Kansas State visits Norman. Oklahoma's home schedule is also highlighted by matches against Kansas on Saturday, October 7, the Red River Showdown against Texas on Sunday, October 22, which will air on ESPN2, and the final match of the regular season against TCU on Saturday, November 25.