Another Top-15 Match for Volleyball

Oct. 18, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. - The No. 23 Oklahoma volleyball team will be thinking pink Friday night as it takes on No. 14 Kansas State for Breast Cancer Awareness Night at the McCasland Field House at 6 p.m. The Wildcats will be the third straight top-15 team OU has faced in the last week.

In honor of the promotion, the first 500 fans through the door on Friday night will receive a free pink t-shirt. In addition, the OU Athletics Department will be promoting breast cancer awareness with statistics and facts throughout the night.
The Oklahoma coaching staff will all wear an item of pink and both squads will wear pink t-shirts during warm-ups. The volleyball team will also be signing autographs following the match.

LIVE STATS
Live stats of Wednesday's match will be available at SoonerSports.com.

TICKETS
OU students receive free admission with valid student ID. Regular prices are $7 for adults and $5 for youth. Children five and under receive free admission.

THE MATCH UP
Friday night's match will be a key contest in regards to the Big 12 Standings. The Sooners and Wildcats both own a 7-3 Big 12 record as they sit at third in the Big 12 standings. Oklahoma knocked off Kansas State earlier this season in Manhattan, but has since lost three matches to No.1 Nebraska, No. 6 Texas and Missouri. In addition to its OU loss, the Wildcats have dropped matches to Nebraska and Texas as well. Oklahoma and Kansas State also own the same overall record with a 15-5 mark.

SCOUTING KANSAS STATE
The Wildcats enter the match as one of the top offensive squads in the conference as they are third in Big 12 action with a .257 hitting percentage while averaging 15.73 kills per game. A key reason to KSU's success is the steady play of Natalya Korobkova, who is tallying 4.40 kills per game on a .240 hitting percentage. Defensively, KSU puts up a tough block at the net as it averages 2.82 blocks per game (fifth in the Big 12) with three starters averaging at least 1.00 blocks per game.

LAST TIME THEY MET
The two squads had quite the battle earlier in the season as Oklahoma topped Kansas State on Sept. 19 in Manhattan. Similar to what it has done all season, the scrappy Oklahoma squad battled in a five-game match and came out on top as OU knocked off then-16th ranked Kansas State, 3-2 (16-30, 30-28, 30-26, 16-30, 1-13). Kansas native Anna Stadel was OU's leader in the contest with a team-high 15 kills while also adding five block assists and a solo block on defense.

SERIES RECORDS
Oklahoma leads the all-time series between the schools, 43-23-1. However, since the inception of Big 12 play in 1996, the Wildcats have dominated the series with a 17-6 record. Currently, OU owns a three-match winning streak against the Wildcats. In matches in Norman, OU leads the series 19-11.

SOONERS AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Oklahoma owns a 2-3 record against ranked opponents with two five-game road wins over then-No. 25 Texas A&M and No. 16 Kansas State. OU dropped a non-conference match to No. 18 San Diego and was swept by No. 1 Nebraska and No. 6 Texas. OU's upset over No. 8 Texas last season marked the school's first win over a ranked team since 1998.

NO. 6 TEXAS SWEEPS NO. 23 OKLAHOMA
The No. 6 Texas offense was too much for the 23rd-ranked Sooners as the Horns swept OU, 3-0 (30-21, 30-20, 30-21) Wednesday night at the McCasland Field House. It marked the first time this season OU has dropped back-to-back matches as Oklahoma also lost to No. 1 Nebraska last Saturday. The UT offense was stellar as it recorded a .418 hitting percentage. Sarah Weiland was the offensive highlight for the Sooners with 12 kills on a .375 hitting percentage.

BEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY
The Sooners tied the 1984 squad with the best start in school history. The 1984 team opened the season at 15-4 and the 2007 squad recorded a 15-4 mark before losing to No. 6 Texas.Additionally, OU's 5-0 start to Big 12 play was the best start to Big 12 action ever for the Sooners. Oklahoma had never even won two straight matches to open Big 12 play prior to this season.

UP NEXT
Oklahoma will hit the road on Wednesday as it heads to Boulder, Colo., to take on the Buffs at 7:30 p.m. (CST). It will mark the two squad's second meeting this season with OU winning contest, 3-2, in Norman. The Sooners will return home on Saturday, Oct. 27 as it hosts Texas A&M at the Field House. The Sooners and Aggies have also already met with OU overcoming a 2-0 deficit and claiming the 3-2 victory in College Station.

HOME SWEET HOME
OU's 15-match home win streak was snapped by No. 1 Nebraska on Oct. 13. Prior to that OU's last loss at home was in 2006, also to No. 1 Nebraska. Including the 2006 and 2007 seasons, Oklahoma is 19-4 at the McCasland Field House.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors