Volleyball Heads to Iowa State

NORMAN, Okla. - The Oklahoma volleyball team will be aiming for its second Big 12 win of the season this Saturday as it travels to Ames, Iowa to take on Iowa State. The Sooners and Cyclones will square off at 6:30 p.m. inside the Hilton Coliseum.

The Sooners will be aiming to start another win streak after the latest sweep to No. 1 Nebraska ended OU's seven-match win streak. The Sooners own a 1-1 record with a win on the road against Texas A&M while the Cyclones, also post a 1-1 record in conference play.

LIVE STATS
Live stats of the entire match will be available on www.cyclones.com.

THE MATCH UP
Saturday night's contest will be a match up between two very similar squads. OU and ISU enter with the exact same record (9-3, 1-1 Big 12) and both teams had its most recent winning streak stopped after falling to No. 1 Nebraska, 3-0. While both teams are extremely similar, each squad has its own strength. The Sooners lead the Cyclones in every offensive category, but OU faces an ISU squad that holds the advantage in every defensive category.

Live Stats | Match Notes | 2006 Schedule

SCOUTING IOWA STATE
Head coach Christy Johnson led the Cyclones to their best record in 10 years in her first season with the program last year and it looks as if she's headed in the same direction this season. The Cyclones, who are receiving votes in the top-25, have strung together two long win streaks this season with two of their three losses coming against top-25 teams.

ISU is holding opponents to the lowest hitting percentage among all Big 12 teams and it is largely due to the play of preseason All-Big 12 selection Erin Boeve. The middle blocker leads all Big 12 players in blocks with a 1.71 average per game. Jessica Klein (1.51 BPG) and setter Kaylee Manns (0.97 BPG) have also teamed up with Boeve to guide Iowa State to the top of the Big 12 in blocks per game.

Offensively, senior outside hitter Katie Jessen is leading the Cyclone charge as she averages 3.85 kills per game on a .227 clip in all matches this season. However, since the start of Big 12 play, Boeve has been impressive while pounding 4.00 kills per game on a .400 hitting percentage.

Manns is directing the Cyclone offense to an overall hitting percentage of .234 while recording 12.42 assists per game. Other offensive contribution comes from newcomer Lauren Cummings (2.17 KPG in Big 12 matches) and Nicole Lorenzen (2.17 KPG in Big 12 matches).

SERIES RECORDS
OU leads the Cyclones in the all-time series, 36-30, but Iowa State has taken five of the last six matches from Oklahoma since 2003. In matches held in Ames, Iowa, OU owns the 14-10 advantage with its last win coming on October 23, 2004.

LAST TIME THEY MET
Oklahoma's last trip to Ames was not a pleasant one as the Cyclones swept the Sooners (30-26, 30-23, 30-23) in one of the final matches of the regular season last year. Both squads struggled offensively as Iowa State only tallied a .192 hitting percentage while Oklahoma's costly errors resulted in a .115 clip for the Sooners. Despite OU's offensive struggles in the match, Eliane Santos and Joanna Schmitt led all players with 15 and 12 kills, respectively.

UP NEXT: #5 TEXAS
After a 10-day stretch away from home, the Sooners return to the McCasland Field House next Wednesday, Sept. 27 for the first installment of the Red River Rivalry. First serve between the Sooners and Longhorns is set for 7 p.m. It will mark OU's second home Big 12 match of the season.

NEBRASKA ENDS SEVEN-MATCH WIN STREAK
The Sooner volleyball team was on a roll entering last week's match against No. 1 Nebraska, but the top-ranked squad was too much and snapped OU's seven-match winning streak with a sweep of the Sooners. Oklahoma battled making it a tough three-game match as NU took the three frames, 30-27, 30-18, 34-32. Senior Joanna Schmitt highlighted the night with her 17 kills, which tied a match high.

OU ENDS 27-YEAR LOSING STREAK
Beating Texas A&M for the first time since 1979, the OU volleyball team opened the Big 12 season in dramatic fashion with a sweep (30-28, 30-26, 30-28) of the Aggies in front of 2,588 rowdy fans in College Station, Texas. OU's only other victory against Texas A&M in the lopsided series (A&M leads 32-2) came on September 15, 1979 in Denton, Texas.

SCHMITT APPROACHING HISTORICAL MARK
OU's career rally-scoring leader in kills and digs, Joanna Schmitt, is approaching another career milestone. 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 98 more digs this season to reach the 1,000 plateau. While Schmitt will become the fifth 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.

OU NATIONALLY
Oklahoma has been one of the top teams in the NCAA in various offensive categories. To the left is a look at where Oklahoma stands in the NCAA rankings.

NCAA Team Rankings

Category	Stat	Rank
Kills per game	16.29	27th
Hitting Percentage	.264	28th

NCAA Individual Rankings

Assists per game	Stat	Rank
Rachel Jackson	13.38	9th
Hitting Percentage
Laura Tomes	.465	8th

SOONER SWEEP MAKES HISTORY
With its 3-0 shutout of Texas A&M last week, the Sooners set a school mark with the most consecutive sweeps in school history. In 1980, former OU coach Miles Pabst led OU on a 16-match winning streak with six consecutive sweeps in the middle of the longest win streak in Sooner history. In 1980, the matches were played the best-out-of-three so a sweep was a 2-0 victory.

WITH THE TAMU WIN:
* OU extended its win streak to seven
* The Sooners picked up their first ever win in College Station
* It marked the first time under coach Restrepo that OU won its opening Big 12 match
* Oklahoma collected an opening Big 12 road win for the first time in the history of the Big 12 Conference

YEAR-TO-YEAR COMPARISON
Since head coach Santiago Restrepo's arrival in 2004, the Oklahoma volleyball team has improved every year in statistical categories. While it's early in the 2006 season, the Sooners are following the same path, improving in kills per game, assists per game, aces per game and blocks per game (chart below).

Comparison 2005 2006

Kills per game	14.25	16.29
Assists per game	13.12	14.79
Aces per game	1.44	1.89
Blocks per game	2.88	2.95

JACKSON LEADING THE OFFENSE
It was a preseason battle for the starting job, but senior setter Rachel Jackson claimed the position and has been extremely consistent leading the Sooner offense ever since. In addition to setting an OU five-game rally-scoring record with 66 assists against Arkansas in OU's opener, she is averaging 13.38 assists per game (9th in the country).

CONSISTENT TOMES
Entering the season head coach Santiago Restrepo said Laura Tomes had made the biggest strides during the offseason in terms of her strength and power. So it is no surprise to Restrepo that Tomes is having a breakout season during her senior campaign.

Tomes has been the Sooners most consistent hitter this season as she is leading the team with a .465 clip in addition to a 3.45 kill per game average. Not only does Tomes lead the OU team, she is also leading all Big 12 players through all matches with her impressive clip and is currently ranked eighth in the nation with her hitting percentage.

SERVING ACES
Head coach Santiago Restrepo wanted his team to work hard in the offseason on serving. It has paid off as the Sooners are averaging 1.89 aces per game behind the play of Sarah Weiland, Laura Tomes and Hannah Sharp. Weiland, the Big 12 ace leader last season, leads the team with 0.38 aces per game while Tomes adds 0.36 SAPG and Sharp is recording 0.34 SAPG.

SOONER HITTING PERCENTAGE
Another goal for the Sooner squad this season was improved hitting percentage and it looks like the extra offseason work paid off for the team. Last season, Oklahoma finished 10th in the Big 12 with a .180 clip. Currently the Sooners own a team hitting percentage of .264, third in the Big 12, and have four Sooners hitting over .300.

OU'S ELIANE SANTOS EARNS PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 HONORS
Oklahoma volleyball senior Eliane Santos was one of 13 players selected to the preseason All-Big 12 team, which is voted on by the league's head coaches.

The 6-5 middle blocker had a break-out season in her first year with the Sooners. The junior transfer led the squad in kills (3.86 per game) and blocks (1.57 per game), both of which ranked fifth among all Big 12 players. She was also selected by Collegiate Volleyball Update as one of the top five blockers in the country.

ANOTHER TOUGH SCHEDULE
A constant year in and year out in Big 12 play, the Oklahoma volleyball squad has put together another tough schedule for the 2006 season. The slate includes 10 teams that advanced to the 2005 NCAA Tournament and five teams currently in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Poll, including two in the top 10. Below is a look at the teams OU have faced or will face over the course of the season. The ranking marks the school's current top-25 ranking.

#1 Nebraska (twice)
#5 Texas (twice)
#14 Wisconsin
#22 Missouri (twice)
Additionally, Colorado, Baylor, Iowa State and Kansas State received votes in the top-25 poll this week.

INDIVIDUAL PLAYER NOTES

#1 JULIE CHESTER
Battled for a starting setter spot during the preseason but has seen minimal playing time this season ... Only start of the season came against Texas Southern where she recorded 39 assists in three games.

#2 RACHEL JACKSON
Won starting setter job in a tough preseason battle with Julie Chester ... Averaging 13.38 assists per game (9th in the nation) ... Set an OU five-game rally-scoring record with 66 assists in season-opener against Arkansas.

#3 ANNA STADEL
A consistent starter for the Sooners last season but playing time has diminished this season ... Has started in six of OU's matches this season ... Played in only one game of Big 12 action so far.

#4 LAURA TOMES
Most improved player this season ... Her .465 clip tops all Big 12 players ... Most consistent hitter for the Sooners this season.

#5 LACY BARNES
The DS has recorded eight digs in as many games this season ... Waiting her turn to play behind veteran defensive specialists Anna Monsen and Hannah Sharp.

#6 SARAH WEILAND
The top ace producer in the Big 12 in 2005 ... Leading Sooners with 0.38 aces per game this season ... Outside hitter is only Sooner to start every match this season.

#8 JOANNA SCHMITT
Senior captain has started off year strong ... Leads team with 4.54 kills per game ... Has almost twice as many attacks as any other Sooner.

#9 BRIDGET LAPLANTE
Entered starting lineup five matches ago ... Played best match of the season against Texas Southern as she recorded 10 kills ... The freshman was a key starter against Texas A&M as she pounded five kills in game one of the sweep.

#10 ANNA MONSEN
Came on strong in final matches of 2005 season and has carried it over to 2006 ... Leads team with 4.46 digs per game.

#11 FRANCIE EKWEREKWU
Will likely redshirt this season.

#12 ELIANE SANTOS
2006 Preseason All-Big 12 Selection ... One of OU's top go-to options on offense ... OU's leading force at the net with 1.50 BPG ... Added nine blocks in OU's sweep of Texas A&M.

#13 MARIANA BLUM
Two-time juco All-American at Hutchinson Community College ... Known for her tough jump serve ... Still adjusting to NCAA Division I style of volleyball.

#14 HANNAH SHARP
A defensive replacement sub that has played in every game this season ... Recorded 13 aces this season.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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