The volleyball team’s winning streak has led them to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Nationals.
The team won the Sooner Athletic Conference regular season championship for the third year in a row Nov. 6-10. Senior Setter Taylor Horton said winning the championship was one of the team’s goals since the beginning of the season.
“It was definitely a fight throughout the year. I can’t even describe how it feels to have won,” Horton said.
The win wasn’t expected, but it was well-deserved, said Santiago Restrepo, head volleyball coach.
“It didn’t cross my mind that we would win. I was just taking it one day at a time, one point at a time,” Restrepo said. “The team has gotten better every day.”
The team also advanced past the NAIA Championship opening round, beating Wiley College 3-1 on Nov. 17.
“The Wiley Texas Wildcats are extremely talented in the aspect that they have a lot of international experience, very well-coached, and they have a lot of offensive weapons,” Restrepo said. “But I think one of our strengths is defense and the chemistry of the team. Our team is always working together.”
Junior Right-Side Hitter Marijana Bjelobrk said the team had to mentally prepare for the win.
“We didn’t practice more than we usually do, we just tried to set up how they are playing the game. Our coach does a really great job of scouting the other team,” Bjelobrk said. “We also encourage each other as a team and get really pumped.”
The win promises the team a spot in the NAIA Championship, a goal Bjelobrk said they have been working towards.
“Last year, we didn’t make it past the opening round. This year, we basically have a new team, a new coach, new everything. I didn’t know what to expect,” Bjelobrk said. “I’m really happy with the way things are turning out. We are going to go out there and give it 100 percent.”
Horton said she believes they have a good chance of winning the national championship.
“Volleyball has never won a national championship. It would be amazing. I think we have a good shot this year,” Horton said. “We have eleven freshmen on our team, so it’s a really good experience for them to grow and seeing what they can achieve in the next three years.”
The NAIA Championship will be Nov. 27 through Dec. 1 in Sioux City, Iowa.
“We’ve worked hard to get to where we are. It hasn’t been easy at all,” Bjelobrk said. “All we can do now is play the best we can.”
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