OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University gets the 2022 volleyball season under way across town in the Mid-America Christian-Science & Arts Cruisin' Classic at the Gaulke Activity Center.
The Stars meet Oklahoma Wesleyan at noon Friday in the first contest of 2022-23 for Oklahoma City Athletics. OCU faces Wiley (Texas) at 4 p.m. Friday, then the tournament shifts to Chickasha High School for a 3 p.m. match against Tabor (Kan.) on Saturday.
Oklahoma City went 18-10 with a 16-4 league mark last year, finishing tied for second in the Sooner Athletic Conference regular-season standings. The Stars have won five of the past six SAC regular-season and tournament titles.
TOP RETURNERS
• Ruby Kelley hauled in honorable-mention all-SAC as a freshman. Kelley, a sophomore from Mustang, Okla., turned in 2.52 kills and 0.55 blocks per set with a .204 hitting percentage last fall. Kelley posted her career high of 16 kills in back-to-back clashes with Southwestern Assemblies of God (Texas) and Texas Wesleyan on Oct. 8 and 9 at home. She tallied a season-best seven blocks against John Brown (Ark.) on Oct. 12
• Catelyn Vargas became a three-time all-conference performer, making the all-SAC team as an honorable-mention choice a year ago. Vargas, a senior from Lubbock, Texas, provided OCU with 2.52 kills, 0.48 blocks and 0.28 aces a set and a .199 hitting percentage last season. Vargas has accumulated 616 kills and 161 blocks in her career
• Hannah Grundy, a junior from Oklahoma City, contributed 2.07 kills and 0.43 blocks a set in 2022
NEW FACES
• Michela De Stefano, a sophomore from Rome, supplied Laramie County (Wyo.) with 2.58 kills, 3.18 digs, 0.30 aces and 0.28 blocks a set last season. De Stefano's average kills rose to 3.32 per set in league play
• Kaitlyn Dunlap, a sophomore from Wichita Falls, Texas, scooped up 2.20 digs and 0.19 aces a set for Vernon (Texas) last year
• Gabrielle Fjeseth, a sophomore from Moore, Okla., contributed to a Great American Conference championship team at Oklahoma Baptist last season and took three all-city honors from The Oklahoman during her prep days at Westmoore High School in Oklahoma City
• Emma Nickerson, a junior from Frisco, Texas, recorded 2.04 kills and 0.30 blocks a set last year for Hill (Texas), which won the NJCAA Region V North Tournament to advance to the NJCAA Tournament
PRESEASON BUZZ
• The Stars stood third in the preseason SAC poll. OCU collected 87 points, including two No. 1 nods
MEET THE COACH
• Kristen Coventon has guided Oklahoma City to a 67-18 record (.788 winning percentage) in three years. Coventon is two-time coach of the year in the region and SAC. During that time, she has coached four NAIA all-Americans, four AVCA all-Americans, eight all-region performers, two region player of the year recipients, the region defender of the year, two SAC most valuable players, two league setters of the year, the conference defensive player of the year and 18 all-SAC selections
• Coventon notched career win No. 150 in a three-set victory at Langston on Oct. 21. Coventon's career mark stands at 153-102 (.600 winning percentage) through eight years. Prior to OCU, Coventon led Southwestern Christian to many program benchmarks, including their most wins in a season (23), their first winning season and mentoring their first NAIA all-American in five years. She has coached five NAIA all-Americans, 35 all-conference performers and 12 all-region choices as a head coach. She spent two seasons as an assistant coach for OCU prior to becoming a head coach
• She is vice president and founder of Rise Volleyball Club and has been head coach of the USA Volleyball Oklahoma region high performance team. She became the third student-athlete in program history to record 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs at Central Oklahoma
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
• Oklahoma City opens conference play at home 6 p.m. Aug. 30 against Southwestern Christian
• The Stars take on two teams receiving votes in the preseason NAIA rankings, Cornerstone (Mich.) and Doane (Neb.) in the Bellevue Labor Day Classic on Sept. 2-3 in Bellevue, Neb.
• OCU faces preseason SAC favorite and No. 23-ranked Southwestern Assemblies of God at 7 p.m. Sept. 23 at Abe Lemons Arena
• The SAC Tournament begins Nov. 8 with quarterfinals hosted by the top four seeds in the tournament. The semifinals and championship matches take place in Waxahachie, Texas
