Eagles' eyes on postseason play - Tulsa World (11-11-05)

[ORUTerry]

Eagles' eyes on postseason play

By LYNN JACOBSEN World Sports Writer

11/11/2005

ORU coach, players work toward winning their way into NCAA volleyball tournament.

Sheera Sirola could talk at length about what it meant to play in the NCAA Tournament.

The Oral Roberts volleyball coach would prefer to let her players experience it.

"I can tell them story after story about the NCAA Tournament, but until they play in it they really won't know what it is about," she said.

Sirola was a member of the 1995 ORU squad that reached the Elite Eight. She currently owns the school record for service kills in a single season with 99 in 1994 and led the NCAA with 98 service kills in 1995.

But junior Ori Zuzic is closing in on that statistic. She has 92 aces and could overtake her coach Friday night in a match at Oakland.

"I'm excited to go for the record," Zuzic said. "It would be nice to beat her. She wants me to get it. I do too."

The Golden Eagles have won 11 consecutive matches in Mid-Continent Conference action with two matches to go in the regular season. The team follows up its trip to Oakland with a date Sunday at Valparaiso. The team returns to Indiana for the conference tournament on Nov. 19.

"We've been practicing very hard," junior setter Brittany Arnold,

a Union alum, said. "This team is very diverse and has great camaraderie. We know the goal and we are working hard for it."

As ORU victories continue to mount, freshman Jacqueline Oliveira cautions that the team cannot afford to look ahead.

"Our strength is our unity," said the Brazil native. "We know what is at stake. We take one match at a time, otherwise we know we could lose."

Oliveira, the team's right-side hitter, has 319 kills to her credit.

"I like my hitting but I also like my defense," she said. "I'm getting better in my serves."

Sirola, the Golden Eagles' third-year coach, likes what she is seeing on the court.

"I'm extremely happy with the way we are playing," Sirola said. "We started horribly in the preseason and then started to pick it up. Two weeks ago we played a little flat but we have started to peak now.

"This is an extremely disciplined team and they do want to win. In my third year we are all finally playing for the same thing, a conference championship, and a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament."

Valpo and ORU have owned the Mid-Con and have played for the conference title three out of the last four years with Valpo coming out on top in all three.

"I want to beat Valpo so bad and beat them again and again," Zuzic said. "To beat them on their court, that would be huge."