Jayhawks Head to Oral Roberts Tournament

Sept. 2, 2004

Tulsa, Okla. –

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After a season-opening win at Arkansas on Wednesday, the University of Kansas volleyball team heads straight to Tulsa, Okla., for a two-day, three-match tournament at Oral Roberts. The Jayhawks (1-0) will face Loyola-Chicago Friday at 5 p.m. and North Texas (10 a.m.) and the host Golden Eagles (7 p.m.) on Saturday at the Cooper Aerobics Center.

First-year coach Jim O’Brien and the Ramblers (0-1) opened their season Wednesday with a 3-1 loss to No. 25 Notre Dame. The Ramblers, who finished 18-14 overall and 11-3 in the Horizon League in 2003, hold a 1-0 lead in the all-time series against the Jayhawks.

“Loyola is not a team to be looked over,” KU head coach Ray Bechard said Wednesday after his team’s season-opening win at Arkansas. “I have a lot of respect for this team and the program — we are going to take them very seriously.”

North Texas (0-1) opened its season on the road with a 3-1 loss to Oral Roberts on Wednesday. Head coach Cassie Headrick’s squad finished 22-14 overall and 11-4 in the Sun Belt Conference last season, but returns only two starters to the 2004 team. The Mean Green leads the all-time series against KU 2-0. The teams have not met since Nov. 30, 1978.

The host Golden Eagles (0-1) are coming off a season-opening 3-0 loss to No. 14 Kansas State Wednesday in Manhattan, Kan. Head Coach Sheera Sirola begins her second season at the helm of the ORU program. The Golden Eagles finished 21-14 overall and 12-2 in Mid-Continent Conference action last season, despite featuring eight freshmen.

ORU, which returns all six starters plus its libero from a year ago, was recently selected as the pre-season favorite to win the Mid-Con for the seventh time in eight seasons as a league member. The Golden Eagles have advanced to the NCAA Tournament eight times in the last nine seasons overall, including a trip the Elite Eight in 1995. ORU leads the all-time series against KU 11-4.

Log on to kuathletics.com Friday and Saturday for post-match results.