Volleyball Heads to ORU Wednesday

NORMAN, Okla. - Stepping out of conference action, the Oklahoma volleyball squad will head to Tulsa, Okla., Wednesday to take on Oral Roberts University at 7 p.m. inside the Cooper Aerobics Center. Oklahoma enters the contest with an overall mark of 5-9 and 0-6 in Big 12 play. The Golden Eagles post an 8-7 record on the season with a 2-1 mark in Mid-Con play, where they are currently tied for third in the conference race.

For the second straight season, OU head coach Santiago Restrepo has scheduled a non-conference match during OU's bye week in Big 12 play. Last season, TCU came to Norman during the Sooners' off week in the Big 12 and handed OU its first non-conference loss of the season with a 3-1 victory. Prior to the loss, the Sooners were attempting to become the first team in program history to finish the non-conference season with a perfect record.

Match Notes (PDF) | 2005 Season Stats

This year Oklahoma posts a 5-3 mark in non-conference action with wins over TCU, Indiana, Loyola, UT-Arlington and UT-San Antonio. OU suffered sweeps to Alabama and current No. 10 Notre Dame while dropping a five-game match to Rice.

Outside of Mid-Con action, ORU boasts a 6-6 overall mark with key wins over Stony Brook, Buffalo, Syracuse, Delaware State and Centenary. One of ORU's six losses came to Texas Tech in the Golden Eagles' season opener. Tech beat ORU 3-1 while the Red Raiders swept the Sooners in Big 12 action.

Oral Roberts will be a challenge for the Sooners, who are on a six-match losing skid. Statistically, the Golden Eagles own the advantage in every single category, except for blocks. Oklahoma is averaging 2.50 blocks per game to ORU's 1.75.

Offensively, the Golden Eagles are averaging 15.26 kills per game and 2.27 aces per game while OU hits 14.0 KPG and posts 1.73 aces per game. While OU owns the advantage at the net, ORU's back row is tallying 15.04 digs per game to the Sooners' 11.73 per game.

The Golden Eagles are led by junior outside hitter Ori Zuzic and freshman right side hitter Jaqueline Oliveira. Zuzic is hitting .211 while tallying a team-leading 4.46 kills per game and 2.57 digs per game. In addition, Zuzic is killing opponents with her 0.83 aces per game, which ranks in the top five nationally. Oliveira is putting away 3.12 kills per game and collecting 2.75 digs per game.

Junior Cris Alves anchors the back row with 3.66 digs per game.

At the net, the Golden Eagles do not have any players averaging more than one block per game. The leader for Oral Roberts is junior middle blocker Kim Snow, who is posting 0.80 stuffs per game.

In order for the Sooners to snap their six-match losing streak, they must have strong play at the net from middle blockers Anna Stadel and Eliane Santos. Santos leads all Sooners with 1.32 blocks per game while Stadel follows her with 1.07 stuffs per game. Both will face tough challenges in Zuzic and Oliveira, ORU's offensive leaders.

Offensively, the Sooners will need solid performances from Santos and junior outside hitter Joanna Schmitt. Santos is averaging 4.43 kills while hitting a clip of .260. In OU's last two games, both against top-25 opponents, Santos has been averaging a .423 clip.

Schmitt, averaging 3.03 kills per game, was dominant in non-conference action before missing the final five matches to an ankle injury. In the first three non-conference matches, Schmitt pounded 18, 19 and 23 kills, respectively, while owning an impressive clip of .462 through all three matches.

Continuing to run the 6-2 offense, look for setters Rachel Jackson (9.33 APG) and Julie Chester (5.28 APG) to make lanes for the Sooners.

Wednesday night's match up will mark the 45th meeting between the schools with ORU owning the advantage 26-19. However, the Sooners have claimed the past two straight. In matches played in Tulsa, the all-time series is neck and neck with ORU leading 10-8.

Next Up For The Sooners
The Sooners will return to conference action as they host No. 23 Texas A&M Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Howard McCasland Field House. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. Despite being ranked in the top-25 the Aggies are similar to the Sooners in that they haven't claimed a conference win this season.

Last Time Out vs. ORU
In 2004, the Sooners swept the Golden Eagles (30-22, 30-24, 30-25) in Norman. Oklahoma set an OU three-game rally-scoring record with its .402 clip and held ORU to a .168 mark. OU had four Sooners tally double-digit kills with Joanna Schmitt leading the way with a match-high 19. Laura Tomes, Rachel Jackson and Jennifer Adams led the defensive effort with five block assists each while Gabriela Tonon collected a team-high 11 digs. ORU's Ori Zuzic led the Golden Eagles with 12 kills.

Jackson Tops The Chart
Junior setter Rachel Jackson set the OU rally-scoring career mark Saturday night after tallying 12 assists against Texas. Jackson jumped previous leader Jessica Barney (1,908) and currently owns the leading career mark of 1,920 assists.

Texas Leftovers
Oklahoma played its second straight top-25 opponent of the week in then-No. 22 Texas Saturday night. The Sooners turned in one of their worst outings of the season as they hit at a .074 clip while the Horns were hitting at .422. The highlight of the night was Rachel Jackson becoming the all-time rally-scoring assists leader after turning in 12 in the 6-2 offense. Preseason All-Big 12 selection Joanna Schmitt led OU with nine kills.

Sooners Take No. 1 Huskers To Four
Oklahoma became only the third team this season to take No. 1 Nebraska to four games this season in a tough 3-1 loss to the Huskers last week inside the Howard McCasland Field House. In addition, OU is the only team in the Big 12 to take NU to four games this season.

Schmitt Breaks 1,000 Mark
In her first match back as the Sooners' starting outside hitter (9/17) after being sidelined due to an ankle injury, junior Joanna Schmitt pounded 12 kills which set her among a new category, the 1,000 kills career mark. The preseason All-Big 12 selection already led the rally-scoring era in career kills and now owns a current mark of 1,002.

Santos and Sooners Set Records
In only her sixth match as a Sooner, junior transfer Eliane Santos set an OU rally-scoring record with four solo blocks against Kansas (9/17). The previous mark for a rally-scoring match was three, held by several Sooners. In addition, Santos' efforts led the team to set a rally-scoring record with eight solo blocks by the squad. The previous mark was seven set against the exact same opponent, Kansas, in 2001.

Weiland Moves To No. 6
After posting 27 aces in her first 14 matches as a Sooner, sophomore transfer Sarah Weiland has already moved into the No. 6 spot on OU's single season list. Weiland leads the Big 12 with 0.65 per game and only needs to 17 more to break the single season aces mark held by Jessica Barney in 2001.

Stadel Has Career Outing
Sophomore Anna Stadel had a career outing against Kansas (9/17). The middle blocker posted career bests in kills (13), attempts (27) and solo blocks (3) while also hitting at an impressive .296 clip. The second-year starter for the Sooners has already tallied five career records through the 2005 season.

Newcomer Contribution
The Sooners have had multiple newcomers who have been strong additions to the Sooner lineup. Sophomore transfers Hannah Sharp (Louisville) and Sarah Weiland (Tulane) have been consistent leading contributors to the Sooners defensively and offensively while junior transfer Eliane Santos (College of Southern Idaho) has been a dominating force. Adding defensive presence has been true freshman Lacy Barnes.

The following is a look at what each newcomer is contributing:

Eliane Santos - 4.43 kills per game; KPG ranks fifth among all Big 12 players; leads team in blocks with 1.32 per game; third on team in digs with 1.81 per game.

Hannah Sharp - team leader in digs (3.10 per game); Ranks 11th in Big 12 in DPG.

Sarah Weiland - leads Big 12 in aces with 0.65 per game; broke OU and Big 12 record with nine aces against Loyola; averaging 2.24 kills per game.

Lacy Barnes - Only freshman to start this season; averaging 1.71 digs per game this season.

Big 12 Dominance
The Big 12 Conference is making a strong case that it's one of the best volleyball leagues in the country. This week the conference has five teams in the AVCA Top-25 poll with No. 1 Nebraska leading the charge.

The league played exceptional in non-conference play and owned a mark of 72-19 (.791) against all other conferences. In addition, the Big 12 notched six wins over top-10 teams during the non-conference stretch.

Stadel Shatters Career Clip
Sophomore Anna Stadel shattered her career hitting percentage against then-No. 19 Notre Dame in the Dome Rally Tournament. The middle blocker posted a .667 mark while pounding seven kills on nine attempts with only one error. The middle blocker's previous career high was .478 set against Texas A&M last season.

Jackson Breaks Assists Record
Junior Rachel Jackson set a new three-game rally-scoring record with 56 assists against UT-Arlington in the Sooners' home opener. Ironically, Jackson broke her own previous record of 46 that she set last year on the exact same date (Sept. 7) against Oral Roberts.

Sooners Set Team Assists Mark
Led by Rachel Jackson's record-breaking performance against UTA (9/7), OU set a new three-game rally-scoring team assist record of 57. The previous record of 53 was also set last year on the same day (9/7) against Oral Roberts.

Santos Shines In Opener
In her first match as a Sooner, two-time junior college All-American (College of Southern Idaho) Eliane Santos posted a double-double with 19 kills and 12 digs for the Sooners against UTA (9/7) The junior middle blocker led all players in kills and tied teammate Joanna Schmitt's mark for the most kills in a three-game rally-scoring match at OU. Schmitt set the record against Indiana earlier this year.

Schmitt Earns All-Tourney Honors
Despite not playing in the final match of the Hampton Inn Bama Bash due to injury, Oklahoma junior outside hitter Joanna Schmitt was still selected to the Hampton Inn Bama Bash All Tournament team for her efforts against Indiana and Loyola-Chicago on Friday, Sept. 2. Schmitt hit at an impressive .547 clip in tournament action while pounding 42 kills and collecting 16 digs in two matches.

In addition, The preseason All-Big 12 team member pounded a match-high 19 kills against Loyola-Chicago while hitting at an impressive .567 clip, a new career high. Schmitt's previous career high in hitting percentage was .486, set against Oral Roberts last September.

Schmitt set a new three-game rally-scoring record with her 19 kills. Schmitt held the previous mark of 18 that was set her freshman season against Drake.

Weiland Serves Up New Record
Sophomore transfer Sarah Weiland, a Tulane product, broke all sorts of records after serving up nine aces against Loyola-Chicago Friday afternoon. Weiland set an Oklahoma sideout-scoring record as well as a new rally-scoring record.

Former Sooner Sheena Werling held the rally-scoring record with six aces while Gloria Holcomb held the sideout record with eight. In addition, the Sooners totaled 17 aces which set a new team-rally scoring record.

Weiland also set new Big 12 records with her strong performance. She now holds the four-game rally scoring aces record mark in the conference. The previous record was eight and held by Katia Lara of Texas (2000). Currently, Weiland leads all Big 12 players with 15 aces on the season (1.25 per game).

Schmitt Sets Career Mark
It only took her one match into the 2005 season to break the rally-scoring career record in digs for the Sooners. Junior Joanna Schmitt, a preseason All Big 12 selection, set the new career bench mark of 622 digs after collecting a team-high 13 digs in her first outing of the season (8/27).

The Cottage Grove, Wis., native already owns the rally-scoring career mark in kills with a current tally of 990 and two more seasons ahead of her.

Additionally, Schmitt is on pace to break the rally-scoring aces mark (73) and needs only 14 more to do so. Schmitt led the team in aces in 2004 after recording 20 over the course of last season.

McCasland Field House Face Lift
This past summer the Howard McCasland Field House underwent a $6 million facelift that included a complete interior renovation comprised of a resanded and repainted floor with four efficient practice courts and chair-back seating that offers fans more comfort. In addition, the entire facility was repainted and improvements were made to the HVAC system, sound system, lighting and scoreboards. The Sooners have also enjoyed renovations done to the training room as well as an upgrade to both teams' locker rooms.

Schmitt Named Preseason All-Big 12
Oklahoma volleyball standout Joanna Schmitt has been chosen as a preseason All-Big 12 selection for 2005. The 5-10 junior outside hitter was picked by the league's head coaches and was one of 13 players voted to the squad.

As last year's team captain Schmitt nailed a team-leading 425 kills for an average of 4.01 kills per game, which ranked ninth among all Big 12 players. The Cottage Grove, Wis., native also produced 13 double-doubles on the season, led the team in service aces with 20 and ranked second on the team in digs with 285.

“This is a compliment to Joanna and how hard she works,” head coach Santiago Restrepo said. “All the coaches recognize what a great job she has done for us. I know she wants to improve this season and show that she belongs among this group.”

Sooners Picked To Finish Ninth
In the Big 12 Coaches Preseason Poll, the OU volleyball squad was picked to finish in ninth place in the conference race. The Sooners finished ninth in 2004 above Baylor and Iowa State. Defending Big 12 Champion Nebraska and current No. 1 in the country was chosen as the preseason favorite for the conference crown.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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