Volleyball Heads North To Iowa State

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma volleyball team (9-9, 1-9 Big 12) will look to avenge an early season loss to Iowa State (8-11, 1-9) and begin the second half of the Big 12 season on the right note when they travel to Ames, Iowa for a 7 p.m. Saturday match with the Cyclones.

ISU came to Norman on Sept. 17 and beat the Sooners in four games (27-30, 20-30, 30-25, 27-30). Outsides Brittany Dalager and Katie Jessen tallied 19 and 17 kills apiece to lead ISU. OU fell into a 2-0 hole after hitting under .100 in the first two games. OU battled back to take the third frame before losing the fourth session.

Sophomore Joanna Schmitt and senior Keri Coats had double-doubles in the first meeting. Schmitt tallied 19 kills and 14 digs, while Coats collected 10 and 10.

LIVE STATS | COMPLETE MATCH NOTES | SEASON STATS

Inconsistent offense has been the main culprit behind most of OU's losses this season and it was the deciding factor in the first meeting with Iowa State. ISU hit .214 and OU hit .143, which was enough of a difference to swing a close match in the Cyclones direction.

Saturday the Sooners will have to slow down the duo of Jessen and Katie Kruenegel. Jessen is averaging a team high 2.89 kills per game but is hitting at just a .166 clip. Kruenegel is averaging 2.67 kills per game while hitting .228. ISU has four players that are averaging 2.49 kills per game or better.

The Cyclones best player may be libero Katie Churm who is averaging 4.07 digs per game, which ranks fourth in the Big 12.

OU will counter with the offensive duo of Coats and Schmitt. Schmitt is 10th in the Big 12 with 3.91 kills per game and has recorded double-doubles in three consecutive matches. Schmitt notched the 25th double-double of her career in Wednesday night loss to Kansas.

Coats is the Sooners most consistent attacker. She leads the team with a .313 hitting percentage while putting away 2.92 kills per game. She was nearly unstoppable against KU with 12 kills and one unforced attack error while hitting .579.

After the trip north OU returns to Norman for a three match home stand, which is the longest of the season. OU begins the stand with No. 10 Texas on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. from the Howard McCasland Field House. The first 250 fans will receive free OU trucker hats.

KEY MATCH UP
OU outside hitter Joanna Schmitt
vs.
ISU outside hitter Nicole Lorenzen

Stats
Schmitt - 3.91 KPG, .186 %, 2.83 DPG, 0.44 BPG
vs.
Lorenzen - 2.56 KPG, .114 %, 2.31 DPG, 0.44 BPG

Breakdown
Iowa State runs a more balanced offensive system than Oklahoma. That isn't to say that ISU doesn't have a number one option. That role goes to Nicole Lorenzen who is averaging 2.56 kills per game while hitting .114.

The number one option for OU has been no secret for the last two seasons. Joanna Schmitt has taken 2.17 more swings than anyone on the OU squad. The extra work is why she is ranked 10th in the Big 12 with 3.91 kills per game.

Whichever squad can get their big gun going will have a better chance of getting the rest of the attackers in line and on the same page.

PEOPLE WATCHING
OU head coach Santiago Restrepo has been out in the community and around campus selling locals on his Oklahoma volleyball team. The marketing has show up in the seats, or at least in the number that are filled. OU has drawn over 500 fans on four occasions this season and is averaging 728 per match. Last season OU averaged 581 fans but only topped 500 on two occasions. One of those matches was a Howard McCasland Field House record of 3,162, which dramatically spiked the average for the 10 match home season.

AT THE HALF, OR A BIT PAST...
Santiago Restrepo is 18 matches into his debut season with the Oklahoma volleyball team, which means OU is has 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	.210	+.38
Assists Per Game	12.31	13.02	+.71
Aces Per Game	1.47	1.21	-.26
Digs Per Game	13.61	13.94	+.33
Blocks Per Game	2.25	2.62	+.37

COMING OUT PARTY
Freshman setter Julie Chester took over the starting reigns five 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

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