No. 18 OU Set for Red River Rematch

Oct. 30, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. - Moving up three spots in this week's poll, the No. 18 Oklahoma volleyball team faces another big challenge Wednesday night. The Sooners will head to Austin, Texas to face the No. 3 Texas Longhorns, who knocked off previously unbeaten and top-ranked Nebraska last week. First serve between the Sooners and Horns is set for 6:30 p.m. in the Gregory Gym.

LIVE STATS
Live Stats of Wednesday night's match will be available at www.texassports.com. Video with audio of the match will also be available for free at www.texassports.com.

THE MATCH UP
Texas enters Wednesday night's match as the hottest team in the Big 12 and the country after sweeping previously No. 1 and undefeated Nebraska last week in Austin. In addition, the Horns are on an 12-match win streak and have won 15 of their last 16 matches. It's only been two weeks since the Sooners and Horns last met as Texas swept Oklahoma in Norman.

Wednesday night's battle marks a meeting between two of the top teams in the conference. Texas currently sits tied with Nebraska for first in the Big 12 standings with a 12-1 mark in league play as its only loss was to Nebraska in the conference opener in Lincoln. The Sooners aren't far behind as they sit alone at third in the Big 12 standings with a 10-3 record in Big 12 play.

SCOUTING TEXAS
Oklahoma will be facing the top offensive team in the Big 12 Wednesday night. The Horns are hitting a Big 12-best .351 in league action this season. UT freshman Juliann Faucette has made quite a name for herself in the league as she is leading the Big 12 conference with 5.26 kills per game. The rookie had a strong outing against the Sooners earlier this season as she produced a match-high 16 kills.

In addition to Faucette, the Horns have many other options on offense as Destinee Hooker is third in the conference with 4.61 kills per game. The UT offense is very efficient with four different hitters ranking in the top eight in the Big 12 in hitting percentage as Brandy Magee leads the way with a .438 clip in Big 12 action.

The third-ranked Horns are just as solid on defense as they put up the best block in the Big 12 as the squad is averaging 3.39 blocks per game and four different Horns starters tally at least a block per game. Lauren Paolini leads the team with 1.36 blocks per game (fourth in the Big 12). Magee follows with 1.32 blocks per game as she led the defense against the Sooners earlier this season with five block assists.

LAST TIME THEY MET
The Texas offense was too much for the Sooners in the two squad's earlier meeting in Norman this season as UT topped the Sooners, 3-0 (30-21, 30-20, 30-21), on Oct. 17. The Horns hit .418 with Lauren Paolini recording an impressive .733 hitting percentage and freshman Juliann Faucette leading the way with 16 kills. Despite Oklahoma's offense only recording a .135 hitting percentage, senior Sarah Weiland was a bright spot for the Sooners. The outside hitter led the team with 12 kills on a .375 hitting percentage.

SERIES RECORDS
Oklahoma made history in 2006 with its first-ever win over the Longhorns. The Sooners defeated the Horns, 3-2, in Norman on September 27, 2006. Texas leads the series 30-1 dating back to the first match between the two squads in 1975. In matches in Austin, UT leads 17-0.

SOONERS AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Oklahoma owns a 3-3 record against ranked opponents with two five-game road wins over then-No. 25 Texas A&M and No. 16 Kansas State and another defeat over No. 14 Kansas State in Norman. 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.

WEILAND, CHESTER LEAD IN 3-1 WIN OVER TAMU
The Sooners tied a school record as they topped Texas A&M, 3-1, last Saturday for a sweep of the Aggies this season. Setter Julie Chester led the offense to 73 kills, which ties a school record for a four-game match during the rally scoring era. Oklahoma had five different players record double-digit kills with Sarah Weiland leading the way with 21 kills on a .357 hitting percentage. In addition, five different Sooners collected double-digit digs on defense with libero Hannah Sharp collecting a match-high 26 digs.

ON PACE WITH 2006
The 2006 squad, which was picked to finish 10th in the conference race, recorded the best record in school history (28-6) and finished second in the Big 12 standings. Now, the 2007 squad is on pace with last year's record-breaking season. The Sooners, who were picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 preseason poll this year, are currently 18-5 overall which is exactly what the 2006 squad's record was after 23 games. In addition, Oklahoma is the surprise of the Big 12 for the second straight year as it is currently in third in the Big 12 standings.

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.

UP NEXT
Following its match against Texas the Sooners will remain on the road this Saturday as they travel to Lawrence, Kan., to face the Kansas Jayhawks (10-13, 3-10 Big 12). First serve between KU and the Sooners is set for 7 p.m. The Sooners will return home next Wednesday, Nov. 7 as they host the Texas Tech Red Raiders at 7 p.m. inside the Field House.

TEAM EFFORT
After graduating two All-Americans from last season, Oklahoma has had to rely on a team effort in every single match and not rely on any individual. The Sooners have proven that this season as they are 16-2 with three or more players recording double-digit kills in a match. In addition, below is a look at OU's top five offensive options and how often they have led the Sooners in scoring each match this season.

Sarah Weiland (7 times)
Mariana Blum (6 times)
Bridget Laplante (5 times)
Anna Stadel (5 times)
Francie Ekwerekwu (1 time)

SOONERS MOVE UP AGAIN - NO. 18
Oklahoma continues to climb up the poll as it was moved up to No. 18 in the latest AVCA poll released on Oct. 29. The ranking comes after OU knocked off Colorado and Texas A&M for the second straight time this season. The Sooners moved up three spots from last week's ranking of No. 21.

The Sooners are one of four Big 12 teams ranked in the top-25. Nebraska fell to No. 2 in the country after No. 3 Texas handed the Huskers their first loss of the season. Kansas State, who the Sooners swept this season, moved to No. 12 in the latest poll.
Oklahoma was ranked No. 22 in the preseason poll and moved to No. 21 in the Aug. 27 poll before falling out. Oklahoma reappeared at No. 25 in the Sept. 24 poll and the Oct. 8 poll and has moved up at least two spots every week since then.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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