No. 4 Nebraska Visits Howard McCasland Field House :: OU volleyball looking to knock of defending Big 12 champ Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

	">Printer-Friendly Format ">E-mail this article Senior setter Jessica Barney has averaged 12.93 assists per game over the last five matches.

No. 4 Nebraska Visits Howard McCasland Field House

OU volleyball looking to knock of defending Big 12 champ Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

Oct. 15, 2002

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Cornhuskers Await

On paper the current five game stretch Oklahoma volleyball is in the midst of looked to be the toughest of the season. Unfortunately for the Sooners it has lived up to the billing, as OU has dropped four straight matches. This Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. OU faces its second ranked opponent in a row, when the No. 4 Nebraska Cornhuskers invade Howard McCasland Field House. The first 100 fans in attendance will receive free OU Rally Rags. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for children. OU students are free with valid student I.D.

"We have to play aggressive," said OU Head Coach Kalani Mahi. "If we come out timid they will quickly take the upper hand. When you play a national powerhouse like Nebraska you have to take them out of their system. We need to break the Huskers serve, which will allow us to take one of their attackers out of the game. Then they'll only be able to bring one or two players at us, as opposed to three attackers."

In the all-time series OU has struggled against Nebraska, who leads the series 55-6. Oklahoma hasn't defeated the Huskers since 1997 and have been swept in the last nine meetings.

Nebraska comes into the match with a 58 match winning streak in the Big 12, on top of their current 13 match win steak. Nebraska is 15-1 overall and 7-0 in conference, while the Sooners are 4-12 overall and 2-6 in the Big 12.

NU leads six of the eight team Big 12 statistical categories and are first or second in five of the individual categories. The Sooners are fourth in the Big 12 in service aces, averaging 1.42 a game. Senior setter Jessica Barney is currently sixth in aces per game and eighth in assists per game. Freshman Jennifer Mosso is eighth in blocks per game with 1.12.

"We've been struggling to be consistent in our passing and serving on the same night," said Mahi. "But alI along I've said when we fire on all cylinders we can compete with any team in this league, including Nebraska. If we control the ball and play efficiently we'll give them a run for their money."

Oklahoma has a much needed off weekend after Nebraska, before traveling to Texas Tech Oct. 23 for a 7 p.m. game in Lubbock, Texas. The Red Raiders are 7-9 overall and 2-5 in the Big 12.

Oklahoma Notes - Senior setter Jessica Barney has assisted on 34 or more kills in five straight games, during that span Barney is averaging 12.93 assists per game

- Barney is averaging 10.81 assists per Big 12 game, which is about one assist above her seasonal average of 9.98.

- Barney's hot streak may be halted soon as she is scheduled to undergo minor knee surgery, Thursday morning after the Nebraska match. She is expected to be sidelined 7-10 days.

- The starting lineup against Missouri featured three freshmen (Birkinbine, Mosso and Adams) and one sophomore (Woods) the youngest lineup for the Sooners this season.

- On the season OU has four games with 20 plus block assists, most recently against Colorado.

- OU has only played three matches longer than three games this season, all of which were four game matches. In those contest OU is 1-2.

- Jessica Barney's six aces and 54 assists against Baylor, Sept. 28 was one of the best matches by any Big 12 player this season. The six aces is the second-highest total by anyone in the Big 12 and her 54 assists is the fourth highest total during conference action.

Player Notes

Jennifer Adams - Back in starting lineup at middle blocker with fellow freshman Jennifer Mosso.

Christina Barlow - Last season average 1.67 kpg and .089 hitting %, this year 3.14 kpg and .202 hitting %.

Jessica Barney - Had 34 plus assists in five straight matches, averaged 12.93 apg during that span.

Tara Birkinbine - Defensive specialist had nine digs against Missouri.

Leanne Chen - Backup setter spelled Barney late in Colorado match.

Gretchen French - Had a season-high five kills against Loyola Marymount on Aug. 31.

Denise Griffin - Dig six balls against Missouri and 15 against KSU.

Lindsay Hoyt - Did not play for first time all season against Missouri.

Emily Kincaid - Out with knee injury indefinitely.

Megan O'Connell - 23 kills and .293 hitting percentage (23K-7E-55TA)

Jennifer Mosso - Leads team during Big 12 play with 1.12 blocks per game.

Yvette Villanueva - After not playing against Kansas State, played in all three games against Missouri and recorded an ace.

Sheena Werling - Redshirt freshman has struggled with accuracy during Big 12 play.

Candice Woods - Despite battling a pulled quadriceps, Woods has put away eight kills in the last two matches.

Settin' It Up

Senior setter Jessica Barney is the team quarterback. She's a quiet quarterback though, who prefers to lead by example over vocal demonstration. Of late the example has been one of the best in the Big 12.

In the last five matches she has averaged 12.93 assists per game, which if carried out over the season, would be good enough for second in the Big 12. She is also sixth in Big 12 play with .042 aces per game.

"Jessica has been with me for three years now and she's improved every season," said OU Head Coach Kalani Mahi. "She works hard everyday in practice and her efforts show. The team is just starting to gel around her as a setter and get a real consistent rhythm on offense."

The humble Barney would rather pass the credit to her teammates, when in reality she is the glue that holds the Sooners together. Take for example the Baylor match, Sept. 28 when she career-highs in aces with six and assists 54. It's no surprise that four other Sooners posted OU career highs in the match, highlighted by Jennifer Mosso who set career highs in four different categories.

"I just want to win," said Barney. "I don't care about anything else. I think we can compete with anyone in this league and I am ready to prove this as a team."

A Closer Look At The Nebraska Cornhuskers

Husker Streaks-

The Huskers have won 58 consecutive Big 12 matches. NU's last lost to a Big 12 opponent was at Texas Oct. 24, 1999. Nebraska won 10 straight conference matches to close the 1999 season, went 20-0 in 2000 and 2001, and owns a 7-0 Big 12 mark in 2002. Nebraska's 58-match league winning streak ranks 10th in NCAA history.

- NU has won 32 straight Big 12 matches at home, dating back to a five-game loss to Kansas State Sept. 22, 1999. After the KSU loss, Nebraska won its last nine Big 12 home matches, then won 10 in both 2000 and 2001. NU has two league wins at home this season.

- NU Head Coach John Cook is 48-0 in the Big 12 Conference. Cook is 81-3 in his third season at Nebraska, with his only losses coming to 2001 NCAA champion Stanford, 2001 NCAA runner-up Long Beach State and USC, which is ranked first in the USA Today/AVCA Coaches poll.

Offensively- Nebraska leads the Big 12 Conference with a .312 hitting percentage. Four Huskers are hitting .300 or better, led by freshman middle blocker Melissa Elmer, who owns a .397 average. Five NU players are producing more than 2.10 kills per game, led by senior outside hitter Laura Pilakowski's 3.68 per game.

Defensively- the Huskers rank second nationally and first in the Big 12 with 3.65 blocks per game. Senior middle blocker Amber Holmquist leads the nation with 1.96 blocks per game. NU is also holding opponents to a league-low .115 hitting percentage.

A Closer Look At The Texas Tech Red Raiders All-time Kills Leader- Senior Melissa McGehee is second on the team in total kills with 140, bringing her career total up to 1,082. Her total is just one kill shy of tying Brande Brown (1994-97) for the top spot in All-time kills. Her season high for kills in a match is 24 which she accomplished against Ball State at the UNLV/Gameworks Classic.

Home Sweet Home- Red Raider volleyball coach Jeff Nelson has found a pipeline of talent in his own backyard. This season's roster is comprised of four athletes from Lubbock, Texas, and one from Amarillo. Angela Mooney is the lone upperclassman from West Texas while four freshmen will play close to home this season.

Romjue's Record Climb- Ann Romjue is steadily climbing up the Tech record books in several categories. With 75 kills on the season the Papillion, Neb., native has 836 for her career which moves her into 12th place all-time. Her 203 attempts in 2002 moves her into 7th in career attempts while her 91 digs give her 1,284 for her career, third best in school history.

Grote Makes the Grade- Redshirt sophomore Laura Grote had big shoes to fill when she took over as the setter this season. Having sat out 2001 as a redshirt and playing 2000 behind Tech's all-time assists leader, the Austin, Texas, native has given coach Nelson the results he was looking for when she took the reins. Thus far, Grote has recorded 245 assists (11.67 per game) while Tech as a team is hitting .261. The Red Raiders rank fifth in the conference as a team hitting and fourth in assists per game at 14.00. As an individual Grote ranks sixth in the conference is assists per game.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

No. 4 Nebraska Visits Howard McCasland Field House :: OU volleyball looking to knock of defending Big 12 champ Wednesday night at 7 p.m.

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