Two Tourney Titles And Eight Straight Wins For Volleyball

NORMAN, Okla. The Oklahoma volleyball is off to the best start in school history and no win was more impressive than its triumph over Brigham Young on Saturday afternoon at the BYU Mizuno Classic in Provo, Utah. The Sooners were down 2-1 before battling back to dominate the final two games for the 30-26, 28-30, 27-30, 30-20, 15-10 win.

The Sooners claimed their second consecutive tournament title thanks to a perfect run through three matches and now stand at 8-0 with the Big 12 season beginning on Wednesday. The loss dropped BYU to 3-2 on the season.

“We kept the pressure on them despite the fact that we were down a game,” said OU head coach Santiago Restrepo. “ We kept coming at them, we kept serving aggressive and taking big swings.”

BYU was picked to finish second in the Mountain West Conference and has received votes in the last two AVCA Top-25 Polls. Based on RPI, (Ratings Percentage Index) BYU was No. 32 in the country last season, while OU was No. 162. It is the first time since 1999 that OU has defeated a team that was receiving votes in the AVCA poll.

“I have to give credit to the team for executing and playing with so much confidence,” added Restrepo. “They didn't back down the entire match and stuck to the game plan throughout.”

Box Score

The upperclassmen carried the offensive load for the Sooners. Leading in kills were senior Keri Coats and junior-transfer Gabriela Tonon, who each collected 20 kills. Coats, who was sixth in Big 12 hitting percentage at the start of the weekend, was successful at a .326 clip today. Tops on the Sooners in hitting percentage was junior Jennifer Adams who had 11 kills and two errors on 19 attempts for a .474 percentage.

For the third time in the last four matches OU has had four players with double-digit kills. Joining Coats, Tonon and Adams was Joanna Schmitt, who recorded her second consecutive double-double with 13 kills and 11 digs.

Sophomore Rachel Jackson led OU to a rally-scoring five game assists record with 56 of the team's 65 helpers. Her total of 56 is also an individual record.

OU's success has come when its offense is hitting at consistent rate this season. Saturday afternoon was no different as OU lost the second and third games when it hit .108 and .205, respectively. In the games OU won they hit .286 (1), .439 (4) and .400 (5). As a squad OU hit .279, topping the .200 mark for the seventh time in eight contests.

OU's eight match winning streak is the longest since the 1996 squad reeled off nine straight. The longest winning streak in OU volleyball history is 16 set by the 1980 team. Texas (7-0), Kansas (7-0) and OU are the only remaining undefeated teams in the Big 12.

The Sooners open the Big 12 schedule at Texas Tech on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The Big 12 home opener is against Iowa State on Friday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.