Tulsa Volleyball Begins Preparation for 2019 Campaign
8/10/2019 4:31:00 PM | Volleyball
TULSA, Okla. — The University of Tulsa volleyball team took to the court on Saturday morning for its first practice of the 2019 campaign.
Head coach Ryan Wills welcomed 14 Golden Hurricane to campus, including six returning letterwinners and four starters. Taylor Horsfall, a two-time all-conference performer and the 2017 American Athletic Conference Libero of the Year returns for her senior season. She is one of three seniors on the team, joined by setter Mariah Pardo and opposite hitter Maddie Rhoder. Middle blockers Callie Cook and Maggie Hembree enter their junior campaign.
The 2019 Golden Hurricane will feature a mixture of youth and experience, as the team features six newcomers.
"This is an interesting group where we have a lot of experience, but also have a lot of young talented players," Wills said. "The returners are going to be huge in helping the newcomers adjust to what we do and how we go about it. … I'm really proud of our returning players for how they have prepared our newcomers so far."
Wills enters his sixth season at the helm and has led Tulsa to a 90-68 record during that span. A year ago, the Golden Hurricane finished with an 19-12 overall record and 11-7 mark in conference play. They secured a postseason berth for the first time since 2012, as they competed in the National Invitational Volleyball Tournament.
This season, The American will be holding its first postseason tournament. The winner will earn the league's automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament.
Tulsa starts the season off hosting Central Oklahoma in an exhibition match on Saturday, August 24 at 1:00 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Center. The regular season gets underway at the North Texas Invitational on August 30-31. The Hurricane will host Houston Baptist in the home opener on Sept. 13, as part of the Tulsa Invitational. League action will get underway on Sept. 27 against Wichita State.
Tickets for all volleyball matches this year are $5.00 for general admission seating. A group price of $3.00 per ticket for a minimum of 15 persons is available by calling 918.631.GoTU (4688).
To keep up with Tulsa volleyball as the 2019 season approaches, visit TulsaHurricane.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
