Bad Case Of Deja Vu For Volleyball

NORMAN, Okla. -- For the third consecutive match the Oklahoma volleyball team lost in four games to a Big 12 opponent. On Wednesday night the Baylor Bears were the latest team to stave off Sooner rallies and snag a conference win by a score of 30-27, 22-30, 29-31, 28-30. Despite winning the first game and holding significant leads late in the final two games, the Sooners fell to 8-3 overall and 0-3 in conference after the road loss. Baylor picked up its first Big 12 win to improve to 1-2 in league and 7-5 overall.

Three Sooners carried the offense on the this night in Waco, Texas. The best of the trio was junior-transfer Gabriela Tonon, who had 18 kills, of which 16 came in the first three games. Tonon, who also hit .300 and had a career-high two solo blocks, has put-away 10 or more kills in seven consecutive matches.

Senior Keri Coats continued to be the Sooners most lethal hitter. She led OU attackers with a .361 hitting percentage while putting away 16 kills. She also assisted on seven blocks. Coats has reached double-digits in kills in seven of the last eight matches.

Box Score

Sophomore Joanna Schmitt pounded home 15 kills but only hit at .050 clip as the Bears' defense focused on shutting down the Sooners' most recognized attacker. Schmitt was one dig shy of her sixth double-double.

Fellow second-year starter Rachel Jackson had another solid outing with 54 assists (three off her own OU record). Jackson also tallied four kills while swinging a .800 rate. Over the last three matches she has hit at a blazing .733 clip . The Arlington, Texas native led both squads with 16 digs.

Second to Jackson in digs on the Sooner squad was senior Stephanie Tengram who tallied 11 digs.

The triumphant Bears were led by the offensive duo of Des Guilliard-Young and Stella Odion, who recorded 16 and 14 kills respectively. OU had some late success against Young, who only had five kills in the final two games.

OU had a three points leads late in both the third and fourth games but were unalbe to hold off Baylor in either set. For OU, the loss snaps a four-match winning streak against Baylor, who last beat the Sooners in 2001.

The Sooners have the weekend off before returning to Norman to face No. 19 Kansas State, which will likely be their first ranked opponent of the season, on Wednesday, Sept. 29. The Wildcats are the defending Big 12 Champions and went into Wednesday night Big 12 action with 6-4 overall mark and 0-1 conference record.

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