Volleyball Aims For Second Straight WIn

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma volleyball team (9-8, 1-8 Big 12) looks to build upon its dramatic weekend win when they face Kansas (11-7, 2-7) on Wednesday night at the Howard McCasland Field House. First serve is set for 6 p.m. with the doors opening an hour before tip. The first 250 fans through the door will receive free OU Pom Pons and the match will be immediately followed by the Homecoming Pep Rally tryouts.

Last season OU play No. 21 Texas A&M prior to the homecoming festivities and had a McCasland Field House record crowd of 3,162. Fans are encouraged to arrive early if they want to get a seat on the lower level.

Both squads came into the Big 12 season undefeated and have hit a stretch of bad luck since then. After starting the season 8-0, Kansas has managed wins over Texas Tech and Iowa State. The Jayhawks were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12, ahead of Baylor, Texas Tech, Iowa State and OU.

Live Stats | O-Zone Video | Complete Match Notes

OU began 8-0 and quickly fell on hard times with consecutive four game losses to Texas Tech, Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State. The Sooners rebounded with a surprising victory over Colorado last Saturday.

The Sooners snapped a 13-match losing streak to the Buffaloes, which dated back to 1996. The Sooners had only taken five games from the Colorado during that stretch. It also marked the first time since 1997 that OU had defeated a conference foe that finished in the top half of the Big 12 in the previous season.

While the Sooners carry momentum from their weekend win, the Jayhawks have lost two of their last three outings. Included among those losses is a three game sweep at Colorado on Oct. 9.

As usual, leading the Jayhawk attack is junior middle blocker Josi Lima. Lima, an All-Big 12 First Teamer last season, is averaging 3.57 kills per game while hitting .263. Fellow middle blocker Ashley Michaels is also having a stellar campaign with averages of 3.15 KPG and 1.54 BPG. Senior libero Jill Dorsey is second in the Big 12 with 4.49 digs per game.

As a team, Kansas is pretty well rounded. They rank in the middle of the pack in every conference statistical category. KU's highest ranking is fifth in kills per game (15.18) and assists (13.72).

OU leads the all-time series with Kansas 37-21 but has lost five consecutive matches in the rivalry. Since the start of the Big 12, Kansas leads the series 11-5.

The Sooners will look to avenge an earlier home loss to Iowa State when they travel to Ames this weekend. Iowa State is 8-10 on the season and just 1-9 in conference. The Sooners and Cyclones will hit the Hilton Coliseum floor at 7 p.m. on Saturday.

KEY MATCH UP
OU middle blockers
vs.
Kansas middle blockers

Stats
Laura Tomes - 1.64 KPG, .234 %, 1.11 BPG
Jennifer Adams - 2.24 KPG, .204 %, 1.14 BPG
vs.
Josi Lima - 3.57 KPG, .263 %, 0.91 BPG
Ashley Michaels - 3.15 KPG, .333 %, 1.54 BPG

Breakdown
Wednesday night will feature two vastly different offenses. The Sooners generally feed their outside hitters the majority of the sets, while KU's offense is led by their dynamic duo at middle blocker.

Brazil native Josi Lima is an established Big 12 star. She will get her looks and her kills. Ashley Michaels has been an All Big 12 Honorable Mention performer the last two seasons and is building on that success. She leads KU in hitting percentage and blocks per game, while ranking No. 2 in kills.

Good news for the Sooners is that their middle blockers are defense-first type players. In fact, Jennifer Adams and Laura Tomes have excelled on defense the last two seasons. The combo is averaging 2.25 blocks per game.

Tomes and Adams don't need to shut down the KU duo. They just need to slow them down to improve OU's chances.

AT THE HALF, OR A BIT PAST...
Santiago Restrepo is 17 matches into his debut season with the Oklahoma volleyball team, which means OU is just past the halfway point in the 29 match schedule. While he isn't satisfied with the Sooners progress in the win column, the statistics show the team has improved in nearly every aspect. Below is a comparison of the 2003 season stats with OU's numbers so far this season:

	2003	2004	+/-
Kills Per Game	13.53	14.44	+.91
Hitting Percentage	.172	.209	+.37
Assists Per Game	12.31	13.00	+.69
Aces Per Game	1.47	1.22	-.25
Digs Per Game	13.61	13.95	+.34
Blocks Per Game	2.25	2.56	+.31

COMING OUT PARTY
Freshman setter Julie Chester took over the starting reigns four matches ago with the daunting challenge of Missouri, No. 5 Nebraska and No. 20 Texas A&M staring her squarely in the face. As expected, the young signal caller had some struggles against three of the Big 12's best teams. Against Colorado on Oct. 16, she had a coming out party with career-highs in every category except solo blocks. The stats don't tell the whole story though. Chester ran the offense with a new found speed and precision, which was a major factor in the upset of Colorado. As for Rachel Jackson, who Chester replaced in the starting lineup, she has become a back row defensive substitution for Gabriela Tonon. It is a role that Jackson flourished in against Colorado (11 digs). It also adds another dimension to the Sooner defense and offense with a second setter in the lineup.

HALL OF FAME BOUND
Oklahoma volleyball head coach Santiago Restrepo will be inducted into the 26th edition of the East Stroudsburg University Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 23. Restrepo is being awarded with ESU's highest athletics honor for his accomplishments as a volleyball player and coach for the Warriors.

Restrepo was an All-American and four-time All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference player from 1983-86. Following a professional volleyball career, Restrepo returned to East Stroudsburg and compiled a 75-32 record as the head coach of both the men's and women's volleyball teams.

“Its an honor and a privilege,” said Restrepo. “ I have to thank everyone involved in the selection process, which includes professors, administrators and coaches. I also have to thank my old coach, Robert Sweeney. His guidance, support and leadership are the reasons I am being inducted. This award is as much a credit to him, as it is to me.”

The induction ceremony will take place during halftime of the homecoming football game and will be followed by a banquet. Restrepo will be unable to attend his induction because the Sooners will be playing at Iowa State on the same day.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Volleyball Aims For Second Straight WIn

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors