Volleyball Sweeps in Home Opener

NORMAN, Okla. The Oklahoma volleyball team swept UT-Arlington (32-30, 30-26, 30-11) in the team's first appearance in the newly remodeled Howard McCasland Field House Wednesday night. The Sooners pulled from behind to claim game one and took games two and three in the sweep.

Oklahoma pushed its record to 4-1 while UTA dropped to 1-5, losing its fourth straight match. Sooner head coach Santiago Restrepo improved his home opener mark to 2-0 with the Sooners.

“I thought we played a little nervous in the first two games, but I knew we would be a little jittery in our first home match of the season,” Restrepo said. “I thought we really took control of the third game and became more aggressive and I really like to see that.”

Box Score: OU vs. UTA | Updated 2005 Stats

Highlighting the Oklahoma offensive charge was junior setter Rachel Jackson who led the Sooners to a team hitting percentage of .319 while adding 56 assists, a new three-game rally-scoring record. Jackson broke her own previous record of 46 that she set last year on the exact same date (Sept. 7) against Oral Roberts.

In addition to setting an individual record, Jackson led the Sooners to a new three-game rally-scoring team assist record of 57. The previous record of 53 was also set last year against Oral Roberts.

For the first time this season, OU had four Sooners with double-digit kills. Headlining the group was junior Eliane Santos, who was making her debut in the Sooner uniform. Santos pounded a match-high 19 kills and added 12 digs to earn the first double-double of her OU career.

Santos' 19 kills tied teammate Joanna Schmitt's mark for the most kills in a three-game rally-scoring match at OU. Schmitt set the record last weekend against Indiana.

Sophomore transfer Sarah Weiland also impressed in the home opener, hammering a season-high 16 kills and hitting at a .400 clip. Senior Gabriela Tonon produced double-digit kills for the fourth match this season with 12 while sophomore Anna Stadel contributed 10 to the Sooner offense while also owning a hitting percentage of .368.

Defensively, Hannah Sharp continued to direct the Sooners. The sophomore transfer added double-digit digs for the fourth straight match, collecting a match-high 13.

Weiland and junior Anna Monsen added defensive presence with six digs each while Jackson, Tonon and freshman Lacy Barnes pulled in five digs each.

The Sooner defense held the Mavericks to a clip of .165, including a .000 hitting percentage in the final game of the match.

OU has little time to rest as it prepares for the Dome Rally Tournament this weekend, Sept. 9-11 in San Antonio, Texas at the Alamodome, the site of the 2005 NCAA Volleyball Championships. Oklahoma will play Rice on Friday at 11 a.m. and take on Notre Dame Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

The Sooners will round out the tournament with a contest against host school UTSA at 5 p.m.

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