OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 22, 2021) – For decades, a common question asked of Oklahoma Christian athletic administrators was if volleyball – dropped from the university's sports lineup after the 1983 season – ever might return as a varsity sport. In July 2018, OC answered that question in the affirmative.

Ever since, anticipation has built as a coach, Barry Wheeler, was hired and began the process of rebuilding a long-dormant program. He recruited one class of players – who knew they'd be redshirting their first year of college – then another class, preparing them to begin their season last August.

But the COVID-19 pandemic changed those plans and what normally is a sport with a fall-semester season now will be played during the spring semester with an altered schedule. The Eagles – after decades of waiting and years of preparing – will play their first match since 1983 on Sunday, when they will visit nonconference foe Southwestern Oklahoma State.

As the Beatles would put it, it's been a long and winding road, but the door to the season is about to open and Wheeler is excited about the possibilities.

"For all of those kids who came in and redshirted that first year, it's really been a year and a half leading up to this spot," Wheeler said. "It's a different sense all the way around. Bless their hearts, they've been great and just rolled with all of the changes that have been going on. They have worked hard all the time and have never complained about anything."

While anticipation abounds, the reality for Wheeler is 17 of his 21 players are freshmen who've never competed in a collegiate match, so the learning curve could be steep early on as they adjust to the speed of the game at the NCAA Division II level. But he's confident the Eagles will not only compete against more-established programs, but hold their own. And as a brand-new team, they'll be able to play without the pressure of expectations.

"We have absolutely nothing to lose this season," Wheeler said. "Everything is an up for us."

The three OC players with collegiate experience – all at the junior-college level – will be leaned upon heavily. Junior middle hitter Kelsie Schiefelbein, junior defensive specialist Kyla Chavez and sophomore outside hitter Caitlynne Hudgens will be key members of OC's rotation that also will include setters Spencer Plato and Jessica Souza, outside hitters Hannah Rouse and Talby Duerksen, middle hitter Morgan Demuth and defensive specialists Alexandra Aponte Torres and Karlee Alonzo.

Wheeler almost always will have three hitters on the court, and there's plenty of quality depth on the roster, including outside hitters Maddie Maile and Shaina Westfall, middle hitters Lily Saenz, Bailee Sharp, Anna Strother and KynLey Burton and opposite Ravyn Michel. Sharp, a junior, provides the Eagles with a link to OC's volleyball past, as her mother, Dawn, played for the 1983 team.

Emily Armstrong gives the Eagles another option at setter, and if Wheeler needs extra defense, he can turn to defensive specialists Brylie Berryman, Allyssa Hamlin or Oceana Lew.

"They could figure in significantly, because I believe our bench is that strong," Wheeler said. "I can put a reserve player in and they can go in and get the job done at any position. If we get hit by an injury, we can go 'next man up' and just put a kid in and go and not miss a whole lot."

Wheeler intentionally recruited athletic, versatile players who can chase down balls all over the court. The Eagles will be most successful when they are able to extend points by allowing their athleticism to take over, he said.

"These kids play hard," he said. "Oh my! They just make play after play. We will be a rally-type team. Spectators should see some very exciting volleyball, because when you're a rally team, it's back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. It's fun to play and it's also very fun to watch. As a coach, it's a little nerve-wracking, but we recruited athletic kids and this is what they do – they make plays and keep the ball alive."

An emphasis of Wheeler and his players also will be establishing a culture within the program upon which future OC volleyball teams can build. It's a rare opportunity to be a trendsetter and Wheeler wants the Eagles to take full advantage of it.

"I recruited who I recruited because I knew we were going to be setting the standard for years to come in the volleyball program," he said. "We have really tried to be very specific about who we brought in, specific on what we establish as our guidelines and rules – not only for us presently, but to set that down for future teams, even long after I leave, to say, 'This is what the program is about. This is what we do,' and getting that culture set."

The Lone Star Conference's scheduling format for the spring-semester season provides hope that OC could qualify for the conference's postseason tournament. The 16 LSC teams are playing in four four-team pods, in which the teams in each pod will play four matches against each of the other three schools – two at home and two on the road, for a total of 12 conference matches.

OC's pod will include an established Division II power, Arkansas-Fort Smith, along with Cameron and Midwestern State (Texas). Midwestern State, Cameron and OC were picked 12th, 15th and 16th, respectively, in the LSC's preseason poll of coaches and sports information directors.

The top three teams in each pod will advance to a 12-team LSC tournament and Wheeler believes it's a realistic goal for the Eagles to do so.

"That would be a big plus for the program, if we can do that, and it would set a standard for the future," he said. "Team-wise, that's our No. 1 goal."

But he also wants his players to focus as students, too: "I want our team GPA to stay high. We've got to maintain a high academic standard."

Wheeler isn't predicting what the Eagles' record might be in their comeback season, although he allows that "it would not shock me if we finished .500 or better.

"These kids work so hard," he said. "You will see it. They will fly all over the court. They are relentless pursuing the ball, which is want we want. It is fun volleyball to watch. Those select few who will be able to come and watch will be entertained by what they see on the floor."