Volleyball Battles No. 22 Texas Saturday

NORMAN, Okla. - The Oklahoma volleyball team will head south of the border this weekend as the Sooners take on their second ranked team of the week in No. 22 Texas Saturday evening. The first installment of the volleyball Red River Rivalry will take place at 6:30 p.m. inside the Gregory Gymnasium in Austin, Texas.

Texas, OU's fourth top-25 opponent this season, enters the match with momentum after upsetting No. 16 Kansas State (3-0) Wednesday night in Manhattan, Kan. The Longhorns have won three out of four in the Big 12, including a four-game victory over Colorado and a 3-2 win against then-No. 24 Kansas. UT's only blemish in its 3-1 conference record is a loss (1-3) against Iowa State.

In non-conference play, UT owned a record of 5-1 with its only loss against Notre Dame (3-2), now No. 10 in the AVCA poll.

Match Notes (PDF) | 2005 Season Stats | Live Stats

The Sooners, still searching for their first conference win, enter the contest with confidence after hanging tough against top-ranked Nebraska Wednesday night. OU endured a 3-1 loss to No.1 NU, but also became the only Big 12 team this season to take the Huskers to four games.

UT is deep on the offensive end with four Longhorns tallying more than 3.0 kills per game. Leading the pack is sophomore Brandy Magee who is averaging 3.68 KPG while owning a .430 clip (third in the Big 12). Fellow middle blocker Leticia Armstrong leads the squad in hitting percentage with a .434 mark while posting 3.11 KPG.

The Texas offense does not stop at the middle blockers, junior outside hitter Dariam Acevedo has contributed 3.0 KPG in Big 12 matches while starting all 36 games for the Horns this season.

With the offensive numbers UT players produce, it is no surprise that the Longhorns rank in the top three in Big 12 matches in every offensive category. Texas currently averages a 15.88 KPG (third in the Big 12) while hitting at a .241 clip in conference action.

Contributing to UT's offensive power is sophomore setter Michelle Moriarty. Moriarty is tallying 13.81 assists per game for the Horns in conference matches, which ranks second among all Big 12 players.

Defensively, Texas is holding Big 12 opponents to a .191 clip, but dos not rank in the top half of the Big 12 in other digs or blocks. Texas is sixth in the conference in digs (14.0 pg) in conference matches, but does possess the Big 12's fifth best defensive specialist in Alyson Jennings (4.12 digs per game in conference action).

At the net, the Sooners and Longhorns post comparable stats in Big 12 action, with UT averaging 2.84 blocks per game to OU's 2.80 per game. Armstrong and Magee lead Texas at the net with 1.32 BPG and 1.03 BPG, respectively.

As the Sooners seek a conference win, offensive production will have to come from all sides of the court. Junior Eliane Santos is coming off an impressive match against top-ranked Nebraska where she pounded a match-high 21 kills on a season-high .457 clip against the nation's top blocking defense. Santos is averaging 4.15 KPG in conference matches.

Fellow Sooners Joanna Schmitt (3.03 KPG), Gabriela Tonon (2.54 KPG) and Sarah Weiland (2.33 KPG) will need to make their offensive presence known in order for a victory over the ranked Longhorns.

Countering UT's offensive charge will be Santos and sophomore Anna Stadel, who are averaging 1.32 blocks per game and 1.10 BPG, respectively.

Sophomore libero Hannah Sharp will need to have a strong performance in the back row against the Longhorns. Sharp tallied a match-high 14 digs against Nebraska.

OU vs. UT Lifetime
In addition to seeking its first Big 12 win of the season, OU will also be aiming for its first victory ever over the Longhorns. Texas currently owns a 26-0 all-time mark against Oklahoma and has swept the Sooners the past 10 consecutive matches.

Last Time Out vs. Texas
The second meeting of 2004 took place in Norman and resulted in a Texas sweep (30-16, 30-15, 30-19). UT out-hit OU .464 to .080 while Joanna Schmitt was OU's lone highlight on the night with a 12-kill performance.

Next Up For The Sooners
Taking a break from conference play, the Sooners will play its final non-conference match of the season against Oral Roberts University. OU is slated for a 7 p.m. match up against ORU Wednesday, Oct. 5 inside the Cooper Aerobics Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Sooners Against Ranked Opponents
The Sooners will be looking for their first win against a ranked opponent since 1998 (a victory over then-No. 22 Kansas State). Texas will be the 45th ranked opponent OU has played since that streak began.

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 Wednesday night inside the Howard McCasland Field House. In addition, OU is the only team in the Big 12 to take NU to four this season.

Junior Eliane Santos headlined the Sooner offense with a match-high 21 kills on a season-high .457 clip, marking the ninth straight match she has tallied double-figure kills. Sophomore Sarah Weiland and senior Gabriela Tonon each added 12 and 10 kills, respectively.

Two More for Jackson
Junior setter Rachel Jackson is closing in on the OU rally-scoring career assists mark after posting 30 assists in OU's 6-2 offense against Nebraska. Jackson currently owns 1,908 career assists and needs only two more to pass Jessica Barney (2001-02) on the all-time rally-scoring assists list.

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 25 aces in her first 13 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 0.59 per game and only needs to 19 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 - 4.59 kills per game; KPG ranks 4th among all Big 12 players; leads team in blocks with 1.32 per game; third on team in digs with 1.97 per game.

Hannah Sharp - team leader in digs (3.23 per game); Ranks 11th in Big 12 in DPG.

Sarah Weiland - leads Big 12 in aces with 0.59 per game; broke OU and Big 12 record with nine aces against Loyola; averaging 2.33 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 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

Volleyball Battles No. 22 Texas Saturday

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