The OCU volleyball team was named Sooner Athletic Conference champions for the fifth year in a row.
The Stars competed in the SAC volleyball tournament April 6-10 at Abe Lemons Arena in Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center. The team won the April 6 quarterfinal game against Langston University (Okla.) 3-0 with scores of 25-16, 25-16 and 25-10. They then advanced to the April 9 semifinals, where they defeated Southwestern Assemblies of God University (Texas) 3-1 with scores of 25-16, 15-23 and 25-10. They moved on to the April 10 championship game, where they were crowned 2020-21 SAC champions after eating Texas Wesleyan University (Texas) 3-1 with scores of 18-25, 25-18, 25-18 and 25-22.
The win marks the team’s sixth conference title, after winning the 2010 championship and earning each SAC volleyball tournament crown since 2016.
Isabel Harwell, defensive specialist/libero junior, said she loves how much effort her teammates put into each game during the tournament.
“Each and every person on our team contributes so much on and off the court,” Harwell said. “We wouldn’t be able to be the team we are without any of our players. It’s a group effort, and it starts in practice.”
Harwell said the team worked vigilantly to ensure the best possible outcome for the season, which was postponed to the spring semester due to COVID-19.
“We have had a lot of ups and downs this year, and it has made us become more adaptable players and has taught us how to put up a good fight,” Harwell said.
The team, ranked 21st in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, hosted the 2020-21 NAIA volleyball championship opening round against Our Lady of the Lake University (Texas) April 17 at Abe Lemons Arena. The Stars ultimately defeated OLLU with scores of 25-20, 25-16 and 25-14.
The Stars previously played Our Lady of the Lake on April 3 at Hutcherson Center in Plainview, Texas, winning 3-0 with scores of 25-23, 25-12 and 27-25.
Before the game, Catelyn Vargas, outside hitter junior, said she believed the team would continue their winning streak.
“I am greatly confident and extremely pumped because I feel like it will be an easy win, knowing that we beat that team in three after playing a whole other game before,” Vargas said. “We were tired and our bodies were busted, and we still pushed through to get the win. Of course, they know who they are playing, and they are going to want to come out with a vengeance to beat us.”
Kristen Coventon, head volleyball coach, said she had high hopes for the opening round.
“Tuning up is one of the only things we need to do for nationals,” Coventon said. “I am proud of this team and confident that we will be able to play our best on Saturday.”
Harwell said the team continued to improve their game in hopeful preparation for the NAIA championships.
“We are going into this match with a championship mindset, which has been our theme of the season, and I think we just need to continue to work on starting off each match strong, setting the tempo, and staying consistent throughout the entire match,” Harwell said. “At the end of the day, we have a lot of raw talent on our team, and the biggest thing we can do to be better is to work together for each point.”
The team will now advance to the NAIA volleyball championships April 27-May 1 at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
For more updates, students can visit the volleyball page on the OCUSports website or the MediaOCU sports page.
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