Completed Event: Volleyball versus Incarnate Word on August 29, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 0
Final
Volleyball
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vs Incarnate Word
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
OU Faces Test Against No. 9 Texas
October 21, 2006 | Volleyball
NORMAN, Okla. - Carrying momentum from its upset of No. 12 Missouri, the No. 23 Oklahoma volleyball team takes its eight-match win streak and perfect Big 12 road record to Austin this Saturday.
The Sooners open the second half of Big 12 play against No. 9 Texas at 6:30 p.m. Saturday evening. OU will be looking to make it two straight over the Horns as it won its first-ever match in the series history last month in Norman.
LIVE STATS
Fans can track live stats of Saturday night's match on UT's web site at www.texassports.com.
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THE MATCH UP
For the second straight match, OU will be squaring off against a top-25 team. The Sooners have been successful against the last two ranked teams they faced, including Texas. The Horns were upset by the Sooners in their trip to Norman last month in a close five-game match at the Field House.
The Horns went on a roll after losing to the Sooners and owned a four-match win streak until falling to No.1 and unbeaten Nebraska Wednesday night in an epic five-game match. UT was up 2-1 against the Huskers, but NU rallied back for the win. However, Texas is the lone squad this season that Nebraska has taken to five games.
OU has been rolling ever since its historic win against the Longhorns on Sept. 27. The Sooners have strung together eight straight wins in Big 12 play, which is its longest win streak ever in conference play ever. Additionally, Texas will be challenging OU's perfect 5-0 record on the road in Big 12 play as OU will also be searching for its first win ever in Austin.
Saturday night's match is pivotal for the top of the Big 12 standings as Oklahoma sits alone in second place in the Big 12 standings with a 9-1 conference mark. The Longhorns, with two losses to Nebraska and Missouri, are currently tied with Missouri in the third spot in the league as each owns an identical 7-3 Big 12 mark.
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SCOUTING #9 TEXAS
Texas has a stellar lineup that includes four preseason All-Big 12 selections and the Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year in Ashley Engle. Additionally, the squad returned three players who were named to last year's All-Big 12 team.
Leading the offensive burst for the Longhorns is preseason All-Big 12 selection Dariam Acevedo (4.03 KPG) who was stellar against the Sooners the first time where she pounded a match-high 26 kills on a .276 clip . Joining Acevedo as part of the Horn offensive threat is Engle, who is second on the team with 3.63 KPG and also played well against the Sooners where she pounded 19 kills in the earlier meeting.
Statistically, UT leads the Sooners in kills per game (16.66), hitting percentage (.257), assists per game (15.72) and digs per game (16.87). Oklahoma will try to use its advantage at the net where it is the top-blocking team in the Big 12 with 3.24 blocks per game in Big 12 play only. In the last meeting, OU recorded 18.5 blocks to UT's 15.
In the back row, libero and 2005 UT Team MVP Alyson Jennings is collecting 3.67 digs per game. Jennings collected 24 digs against the Sooners earlier this season.
SERIES RECORDS
Texas owns the all-time series by a 28-1 margin. As it has done all season, Oklahoma made history when it beat Texas for the first time-ever in the 31-year history of the series last month in Norman. The Sooners will be aiming for their first-ever win in Austin on Saturday night.
LAST TIME THEY MET
For the first time in the history of the Red River Rivalry, the Oklahoma volleyball team knocked off then-No. 8 Texas with a five-game win (30-28, 30-21, 31-33, 26-30, 15-13) Wednesday night inside the Howard McCasland Field House. A crowd of 780 fans watched the Sooners beat their first ranked team since 1998 and earn their first-ever win over the Longhorns in the series.
UP NEXT: KANSAS
The Sooners will remain on the road next week as they travel to Lawrence, Kan., for a rematch with the Kansas Jayhawks, whom OU swept 3-0 earlier this season, on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. Oklahoma will return home to take on the Texas A&M Aggies next Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Field House.
MISSOURI IN REVIEW
Oklahoma upset another top-25 team Wednesday night as it dominated No. 12 Missouri in three games (30-18, 30-18, 30-26) inside the McCasland Field House. The Sooners tallied their best hitting percentage of the Big 12 season, a .352 clip, against the Tigers and held 2005 All-Americans Jessica Vander Kooi and Nicole Wilson to 11 and 7 kills, respectively. Oklahoma beat Missouri for the first time since Nov. 3, 1999.
OU NATIONALLY
Oklahoma has been one of the top teams in the NCAA in various offensive categories. Below is a look at where Oklahoma stands in the NCAA rankings as of all matches prior to Oct. 17.
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FRESHMEN BATTLE
Saturday night's match up will be a battle between two of the top freshman hitters in the Big 12 in UT's Ashley Engle, the preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, and OU's Bridget Laplante. Engle is leading the Horns in Big 12 action with 3.97 kills per game on a .251 clip while also contributing 2.87 digs per game and 0.67 blocks per game at the net. Laplante has exceptional in Big 12 play for the Sooners where she is second on the squad with 3.55 kills per game on a .251 clip while collecting 1.97 digs per game.
SCHMITT APPROACHING HISTORICAL MARK
Inching closer to the milestone every match, it looks as if OU's career rally-scoring leader in kills and digs, Joanna Schmitt, is approaching another career milestone and it is likely the senior will achieve it in Austin this weekend. The senior outside hitter is approaching the 1,000 kill/1,000 dig career mark that only four other Sooners have held in OU history. Schmitt needs only six more digs this season to reach the 1,000 plateau. While Schmitt will become the fourth Sooner in history to accomplish the feat, she would become the first Sooner in the rally-scoring era to reach the 1,000 kill and dig mark.
PLAYER TO WATCH: LAURA TOMES
The senior middle blocker has been exceptional for the Sooners this season and is one of the top hitters in the conference with a .403 hitting percentage that ranks third among all Big 12 players.
Tomes is coming off a stellar performance against No. 12 Missouri where she pounded 12 kills on a .526 clip in the three-game match while also adding two solo blocks and three block assists.
In OU's earlier meeting against Texas, Tomes was made significant contributions in the Sooner win. She pounded 14 kills on an impressive .346 clip against the Horns and added four block assists for the defense.
BEST START EVER AFTER 20 MATCHES
With the non-conference and first half of the Big 12 season complete, the Sooners are off to their best start ever in the 32-year history of the program. The previous best record was in 1984 when the Sooners went 15-4 to start off the season. Similarly, OU's 9-1 record in Big 12 play marks its best start in Big 12 history and in any conference play. In 1987, OU opened the season at 8-2 during the Big Eight Conference stretch.
SOONERS MOVE TO NO. 23 IN TOP-25 POLL
Ranked for the first time in 18 years, the Oklahoma volleyball squad continues to climb up the polls as it received a No. 23 ranking in the latest CSTV/AVCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll released Oct.16. This season marks the first time the OU volleyball program has been ranked since 1988, when it finished with a 23-9 overall mark and 8-4 record in Big Eight play. Prior to this season's ranking, 1988 marked the only season in the 32-year history of the OU volleyball program that it was ranked in the top 25 poll.
SOONERS PERFECT ON BIG 12 ROAD
Oklahoma and Nebraska remain the only teams in the Big 12 Conference with a perfect road record in conference play. With its win against Kansas State last week, the Sooners improved to 5-0 in league matches on the road. Other Big 12 wins away from home were against Texas A&M, Iowa State, Colorado and Kansas State.
BIGGEST COME BACK SINCE 2004
OU's victory against Texas Tech marked the first time in two years that Oklahoma rallied to win a match after a 2-0 deficit. OU's last win after a 2-0 deficit was a win over Texas-Pan American on Sept. 4, 2004. During that match, OU had to come back from a 28-30 and 25-30 deficit.
MOST WINS SINCE 1997
With a 17-3 record and the first half of the Big 12 season completed, Oklahoma has already accumulated more wins than any other squad since the 1997 team. That season marked OU's last trip to the NCAA Tournament as the team finished with a 20-13, and 13-7 mark in Big 12 play. With a current 9-1 Big 12 mark, it also marks the most league wins since 1997.
SOONERS AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
This season, Oklahoma has upset two top-25 teams in Texas and Missouri. OU's win against Texas marked the school's first win over a ranked team since 1998 (a victory over then-No. 22 Kansas State). Prior to OU's win, the Sooners had faced 53 ranked opponents, but couldn't pull out a win over any of the top-25 opponents.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
Through 20 matches last season Oklahoma owned a 5-15 overall mark and an 0-11 mark in Big 12 play. In 2006, the Sooners have already surpassed last year's win total in conference and overall. A comparison of the stats below shows what a difference a year makes.
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MAKING HISTORY
The 2006 version of the Oklahoma volleyball squad has been all about making history and defying the odds. Below is a list of the accomplishments the squad has achieved this season.
* Win over then-No. 8 Texas marks first-time ever OU has beaten Texas in volleyball and the first time since 1998 that OU beat a top-25 team.
* A sweep of Texas A&M marked the first time OU had beaten Texas A&M since 1979 and its first victory ever in College Station. It was also the first time in the history of the Big 12 that OU collected an opening Big 12 road win.
* Oklahoma beat Colorado for the first time in Boulder since Oct. 13, 1988
* OU cracked the top-25 polls on Oct. 2 for the first time since 1988.
* The Sooners victory over Kansas marked the first time OU won against the Jayhawks since Nov. 8, 1997.
* With a come-from-behind 3-2 win, OU beat Texas Tech in Lubbock for the first time since Oct. 18, 1997.
* OU snaps a 14-match losing streak to Kansas State with a 3-2 win over the Wildcats in Manhattan.
* A 12-match losing streak to Missouri is snapped with an upset of the No. 12 Tigers.
SEEING DOUBLE
Outside hitter Joanna Schmitt has been the Sooners' go-to-girl this season. It is no surprise as the senior captain is leading the team with a 4.25 kills per game average ((fourth in the Big 12) and has recorded nine double-doubles already this season.
BLOCK PARTY
Traditionally when people think of the top blocking team in the Big 12, perennial powerhouse Nebraska comes to mind. However, Oklahoma is working on taking over that title as the Sooners lead the conference with 3.24 blocks per game in Big 12 matches only.
SOONER SWEEPS
The Oklahoma volleyball team is off to one of its best starts in history and not only is the squad winning, it is doing it in convincing fashion. Oklahoma has swept in 13 of its 17 victories this season. Additionally, the squad set a school record with seven consecutive sweeps from Sept. 2 - Sept. 13.
VB Highlights: OU 3, Florida State 2
Wednesday, September 10
VB Highlights: OU 3, Abilene Christian 0
Saturday, August 30
VB Highlights: OU 3, Incarnate Word 0
Friday, August 29
VB Highlights: OU 3, Missouri State 1
Friday, August 29
