OU Perfect in Big 12 Road Play

BOULDER, Colo. - While it took a close five-game battle, the Oklahoma volleyball team (12-3, 4-1 Big 12) remains perfect in Big 12 road play after defeating the Colorado Buffaloes (8-5, 4-2 Big 12) Saturday night in Boulder, Colo. OU used scores of 22-30, 30-18, 30-21, 23-30 and 15-6 to record its third win over a team that was receiving votes in the top 25.

Once again, senior Joanna Schmitt was the leader of the team after recording her seventh double-double of the season which included 19 kills and 14 digs.

“It was a hard-fought battle and a great match between two teams,” head coach Santiago Restrepo said. “It's always good to get a road victory against a tough team in Colorado.”

Box Score | Cumulative Stats | 2006 Schedule

Offensively, Oklahoma hit at a .225 clip for the match. In addition to Schmitt, Oklahoma had three other Sooners record double-digit kills. Senior Laura Tomes pounded 18 kills on a match-high .385 clip while Eliane Santos added 11 kill and Bridget Laplante pounded 10 against the Buffs.

“I thought the key to tonight's win was our defense,” Restrepo said. “We had some very crucial blocks in the final game that really gave us the edge.”

The Sooner defense was impressive against one of the top offensive squads in the league. OU recorded 21 total team blocks against CU behind the play of Tomes who led the team with six block assists and two solo blocks.

Additional help at the net came from Santos who added four block assists and two solos while setter Rachel Jackson, who also took command of the offense with 61 assists, added four block assists and one solo.

It was a team effort at the net as Sarah Weiland was also stellar with two solos while teaming up for three block assists.

Libero Anna Monsen led the back row effort, tying Schmitt with a team-high 14 digs. Jackson collected eight digs against Colorado while Laplante was one shy from a double-double with nine digs. Defensive specialist Hannah Sharp was also a key unit to the defensive effort as she added nine digs as well.

Saturday's contest marked the first time the Sooners have lost the first game of a match and battled back to claim the win. With three road wins over Texas A&M, Iowa State and Colorado and a home upset of No. 8 Texas, the Sooners sit third in the conference standings with a 4-1 Big 12 mark.

Next, the Sooners return home for a two-match home stand at the Howard McCasland Field House. Oklahoma will host Baylor at 7 p.m. Wednesday night and square off against the Kansas Jayhawks at 7 p.m. next Saturday night (Oct. 7).

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