After posting a 2-1 record and finishing second in the Nike Invitational last weekend, the Sooners are looking to close out their first home stand of the season with another victory when they face Central Arkansas at 6 tonight at McCasland Field House.

The two programs met for the first time last year. The Sooners came out on top 3-1 over the Bears.

Central Arkansas is off to a hot start this season. The Bears went 3-1 in their opening tournament last weekend.

“They are a pretty solid team,” coach Santiago Restrepo said. “They have very good middles and they block extremely well. They are very well coached and are a good team to play here at home. We’ll have to bring our A game.”

Restrepo would like for the Sooners to win against Central Arkansas to build the team’s momentum before they begin a stretch of eight games on the road. This year’s squad has a key component that past squads did not—depth.

“Obviously, we are very pleased with all of the incoming freshmen and transfers,” Restrepo said. “They’ve all contributed some valuable minutes. We definitely have some real depth for the first time since I’ve been here.”

The team will also be testing some tweaks against Central Arkansas that they’ve been working on in practice.

“We definitely are trying to improve hitting selection from outside hitters and have more successful hitting against the double block,” Restrepo said. “We are also working a lot on team chemistry.”