OU Mounts Comeback in Manhattan

MANHATTAN, Kan. For the second straight time this week, the No. 24 Oklahoma volleyball team won a five-game match with a 3-2 win (27-30, 30-21, 21-30, 30-27, 15-8) over Kansas State Saturday afternoon in Manhattan, Kan. Oklahoma (16-3, 8-1) extended its winning streak to seven while snapping a 14-match losing streak to the Wildcats at the same time. KSU fell to 8-11 and 0-9 in conference play.

“It was another great win that our team battled for,” head coach Santiago Restrepo said. “Kansas State is a strong team and their record doesn't reflect how tough of a team they are. I'm proud of the girls for being mentally tough in a hostile environment.”

Senior outside hitter Joanna Schmitt and freshman Bridget Laplante continued their torrid pace in Big 12 play. Laplante recorded a season-high 23 kills on a .319 hitting percentage. Schmitt was equally impressive as she recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 19 kills and 15 digs.

Box Score | Cumulative Stats | 2006 Schedule

Also leading the Sooners to a team hitting percentage of .255 was senior setter Rachel Jackson, who recorded 61 assists while also contributing two kills, two aces and 11 digs.

Defensively, libero Anna Monsen collected a match-high 25 digs while senior Laura Tomes continued her stellar work at the net as she recorded a match-high seven block assists. Also adding defensive presence was middle blocker Eliane Santos, who added six block assists and one block solo while Weiland and Jackson added five block assists a piece.

In game one, Oklahoma jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but K-State used a huge 8-0 run, which was highlighted by three straight KSU aces, to push the Wildcats' lead to 18-9 in the first frame. OU used its own 5-0 rally to close K-State's lead to 22-19, but Oklahoma couldn't claim the lead as KSU took the first set, 30-27.

It was a different story in game two as Oklahoma came out with the momentum as it took its first lead of the game at 3-2 and used a 7-0 run, a rally that was highlighted by five Joanna Schmitt kills, to extend its lead to 20-10. A kill by Laplante on the game point gave the Sooners the 30-21 win and tied up the match at 1-1.

In game three, Oklahoma held the lead at 10-9, but KSU broke out to a 5-0 run to take the 14-10 lead and would never trail again in the third frame as it took game three, 30-21.

The Sooners wouldn't be denied as they clinched the match with solid performances in the final two games. In a crucial game four that saw 10 different ties and five lead changes, Oklahoma held on for the win after two straight attack errors by K-State gave OU the 30-27 win.

Similar to the game five against Texas Tech on Wednesday, the Sooners dominated the deciding game in Manhattan. Jumping out to an 11-8 lead, OU used a 5-0 rally highlighted by two Laplante kills to end the game and the match.

The Sooners have a challenging week ahead as they host No. 15 Missouri (13-5, 7-2 Big 12) on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. inside the Howard McCasland Field House. OU caps off the week with a road trip to Austin for a rematch with the No. 10 Texas Longhorns (12-4, 7-2 Big 12) on Saturday night.

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