Volleyball Faces Crucial Trip

NORMAN, Okla. -- The Oklahoma volleyball team (8-2, 0-2 Big 12) will hit the road again for a crucial Big 12 match with Baylor (6-5, 0-2). The Sooners and Bears will meet at the Ferrell Center in Waco, Texas on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

OU and Baylor are the only remaining teams in the Big 12 without a conference win. After a promising 8-0 start, OU fell to Texas Tech and Iowa State to begin Big 12 play with a thud. Baylor went 6-3 during non-conference play and lost to Texas and Missouri to start the Big 12 season.

The Sooners came out tentative in both of their Big 12 contests. As a result they lost the first two games of both matches and fell into an insurmountable hole. OU was able to salvage one game (the third) against both opponents but will need a more consistent effort to defeat a talented Baylor squad this week.

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Baylor, predicted to finish in an eighth place tie with Texas Tech, has not hit its stride yet. After starting 1-3, they have won five of the last seven matches under first year head coach Jim Barnes.

Baylor's strengths this season are at the net and behind the line. Baylor is fifth in the Big 12 (OU is sixth) in blocks (2.99) and aces per game (1.85). They rank eighth or lower in all conference statistical categories.

The Bears have three players averaging three-plus kills per game. Tops among the group is OH Stella Odion at 3.5 kills per game. MB Des Guilliard-Young is the arguably the toughest Bear to stop. The 6-5 sophomore is the second tallest player in the Big 12 - behind OU's Katy Rieger at 6-6 - and uses her stature and athletic ability to dominate the middle. She is hitting at a .435 clip with 3.26 kills and 1.21 blocks per game.

OU leads the all-time series with Baylor 19-11 and has won four straight meetings. Last season both meetings were five-game barn burners. Sophomore Joanna Schmitt averaged 5.0 kills and 2.6 digs per game against BU last season.

After the trip to Waco, the Sooners have their first bye weekend. OU will resume Big 12 play with a home match against No. 19 Kansas State on Sept. 29.

RPI'ING THE COMPETITION
OU head coach Santiago Restrepo refers to the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) likes it's the bible. He gauges the performances of his team based on their opponents RPI from 2003. In the eyes of Restrepo a win over any opponent rated higher than you in the season prior is of added significance. By those standards, OU's (No. 167 in 2003) win over BYU (No. 32 in 2003) was very impressive and the biggest so far this season. The Sooners have an uphill climb the rest of the way. After sept. 10, every team they face had a higher ranking in 2003. The RPI accurately averages a team's strength based on win/losses and strength of schedule. Below is a list of this where OU's remaining opponents ranked:

Team - 2003 RPI
Nebraska - 6
Kansas State - 7
Texas A&M - 16
Kansas - 22
Colorado - 36
Missouri - 48
Texas - 56
Texas Tech - 124
Texas Christian - 125
Iowa State - 149
Baylor - 151

CAREER MARKS
A look at where current Sooners rank on the career lists since for the rally-scoring system, which was implemented in 2001:

CAREER KILLS
1. Christina Maynes	679	2000-03
2. Joanna Schmitt	652	2003- present
3. Candice Woods	437	2001-02
4. Sheena Werling	394	2002-present
5. Logan Pierce	342	2001
6. Keri Coats	305	2003-present
7. Megan O'Connell	289	2002
8. Jennifer Adams	282	2002-present

ASSISTS
1. Jessica Barney	1,909	2001-02
2. Rachel Jackson	1,334	2003-present
3. Kelly McCarter	381	2003

ACES
1. Jessica Barney	73	2001-02
2. Joanna Schmitt	51	2003-present
3. Christina Maynes	50	2000-03
4. Keri Coats	34	2003-present

DIGS
1. Christina Maynes	621	2000-03
2. Denise Griffin	461	2001-02
3. Jessica Barney	443	2001-02
4. Joanna Schmitt	425	2003-present
5. Yvette Villanueva	386	2002-03
6. Lindsay Hoyt	328	2001-02
7. Rachel Jackson	291	2003-present

BLOCK ASSISTS
1. Jennifer Adams	176	2002-present
2. Candice Woods	146	2001-02
3. Keri Coats	119	2003-present
4. Laura Tomes	112	2003-present
5. Jennifer Mosso	79	2002-present

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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