No. 20 OU Wins 3-1 at Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. Led by Sarah Weiland's season-high 15 kills, the No. 20 Oklahoma volleyball team topped Kansas for the second time this season as it beat the Jayhawks, 30-23, 30-19, 27-30, 30-25 in Lawrence, Kan., Wednesday night. The win marked OU's first victory in Lawrence since Nov. 8, 1997 and the first Kansas road win for head coach Santiago Restrepo.

The Sooners remain in second place in the Big 12 standings with an 18-4 overall mark and a 10-2 record in conference play. With the loss, KU fell to 10-11 and 3-9 in conference action.

Also pacing the Sooner offense that registered a .255 hitting percentage in the four-game match were Eliane Santos, Bridget Laplante and Joanna Schmitt. Santos and Laplante each recorded 12 kills a piece with Laplante adding six kills in the final frame. Schmitt added 11 kills for the offense.

Box Score | Cumulative Stats | 2006 Schedule

Defensively, the Sooners owned the advantage at the net with 15 blocks to KU's six. OU's success at the net was largely due to Santos' four block solos, a season-high, and five block assists at the net. Senior Laura Tomes also added four block assists for the defense.

Laplante picked up her fifth double-double of the season with 10 digs while Schmitt notched her 11th double-double of the season with a match-high 17 digs.

Oklahoma used two 4-0 runs to open game one as it pushed its lead to 8-2. However, the Jayhawks battled back with a 6-0 run of its own that tied the set up at 15-15, but Oklahoma responded with three straight points highlighted by a Laplante ace to take back the 18-15 lead. Once again, KU tied it up at 20-20 but couldn't ever take the lead as the Sooners ended the game with a 4-0 run to win, 30-23. Schmitt's five kills and Santos' two solo blocks and two block assists highlighted the first frame.

The Jayhawks took the 2-1 lead in the second frame, but would never lead again as Oklahoma used a 5-1 run to take a 7-3 lead. The Sooner offense was in control as it recorded a .412 hitting percentage in game two to beat Kansas, 30-29, in game two. Junior Sarah Weiland's five kills in the second set led the Sooners while Laura Tomes was huge on the defense side with three block assists.

As it did in the first two games, KU took the initial lead but the Sooners got a slower start in the third game. OU tied it up at 5-5 after a block assist by Weiland and Larua Tomes, which was followed by a KU error to give OU its first and only lead of the game at 6-5. Two straight KU aces gave KU back the edge and the Jayhawks jumped out to their biggest lead of the game at 16-10. Oklahoma pushed it to within one on six different occasions but couldn't ever take back the lead. A big difference in game three was the five service aces KU pounded against the Sooners.

Game four was similar to game three as Kansas took the beginning lead and both squads battled back and forth trading scores. Oklahoma used a 4-0 run to tie the match up at 10-10, but OU didn't take its first lead of the game until 12-11 after a Weiland kill. KU took back the lead and held it until two straight Jayhawk errors gave Oklahoma the 17-15 advantage. OU capitalized on the lead and used a 5-0 run to close out the game and win the fourth frame, 30-25.

The Sooners return home for a two-match home stand as they host the Texas A&M Aggies Saturday night at 7 p.m. inside the Field House. OU will take a break from conference action and host TCU on Tuesday, Oct. 31 at 7 p.m. inside the Field House.

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