OU Opens Big 12 Play at No. 25 A&M

Sept. 11, 2007

NORMAN, Okla. - Owning an 7-2 non-conference mark, the Oklahoma volleyball team opens Big 12 play Wednesday night on the road. The Sooners will square off against the No. 25 Texas A&M Aggies (10-0) at 6:30 p.m. in College Station, Texas.

LIVE STATS/LIVE VIDEO
Sooner fans will have a great opportunity to watch the OU vs. Texas A&M match as the Aggies' web site, www.AggieAthletics.com, will be streaming live video of the match for free. Additionally, live stats will also be provided on their web site.

SCOUTING TEXAS A&M
The No. 25 Aggies entered the poll this week for the first time this season as they own a perfect 10-0 record and have been dominant, sweeping all of their opponents this season, except for a 3-1 win over Texas State. Texas A&M has notched key wins over Washington State, Auburn and Louisiana Tech this season. TAMU is 3-0 this season at home.

The Aggies defense has been exceptional during the non-conference season as they have held their opponents to a Big 12 best .103 hitting percentage. Additionally, their offense has been top-notch as well as the squad owns a .346 hitting percentage this season, another Big 12 best.

Headlining the TAMU defense that is averaging 2.60 blocks per game and 15.48 digs per game are junior middle blockers Jillian Phillips and Darla Donaldson, a transfer from Cal State Northridge. Donaldson is leading the team with 1.40 blocks per game while Phillips is right behind with 1.21 blocks per game.

Setter Kristen Schevikhoven is leading the offense to its impressive hitting percentage with 11.54 assists per game. The Aggies have eight players hitting over .320 with three of them recording a .400 clip or better. Leading the offense is Sarah Ammerman with 3.92 kills per game while Mary Batis is pounding 3.37 kills per game. Both Ammerman and Batis were the leading offensive contributors against the Sooners last season.

LAST TIME THEY MET
OU will be opening the Big 12 slate on the road at Texas A&M for the second straight year. OU's last trip to College Station resulted in a sweep for the Sooners, which snapped a 27-year losing streak to Texas A&M and began OU's record-breaking season.

Oklahoma also swept the Aggies in the two squad's latest meeting - a 3-0 victory in Norman last season. The Sooner defense was stellar in the match in College Station as they recorded 14.5 blocks while current Sooners Bridget Laplante and Sarah Weiland added nine kills each for the offense.

SERIES RECORDS
After beating the Aggies twice last season, Oklahoma now trails in the all-time series against the Aggies, 3-32. Prior to last season, Oklahoma hadn't beaten the Aggies since Sept. 15, 1979. OU's sweep last season marked the squad's first-ever win in College Station.

BIG 12 ROAD OPENERS
The Sooners own a 2-9 mark in conference road openers since the inception of the Big 12 (1996). OU's last victory in a road conference opener was last season in College Station when the Crimson and Cream swept the Aggies.

PLAYER TO WATCH
The Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week, Mariana Blum, has been one of OU's main go-to-girls on offense this season. After playing minimal amounts last season, the senior outside hitter has stepped it up in 2007 where she is averaging a team-best 3.90 kills per game as well as 4.32 digs per game on defense.

Blum is coming off a strong weekend at the USD Invitational as she recorded 4.00 kills per game and collected 5.40 digs, a Big 12 best for the week. The senior has also notched six double-doubles this season and is second in the conference with 0.55 aces per game.

IN REWIND
The Oklahoma volleyball team notched a 2-1 mark last weekend at the University of San Diego Invitational. The Sooners opened the tournament with two consecutive sweeps. Oklahoma handed Virginia a 3-0 loss (30-18, 30-25, 30-23) on Friday night and followed with a sweep (30-24, 30-28, 30-22) of UC Santa Barbara on Saturday afternoon. The Sooners faced No. 18 San Diego in the championship match but were unable to pull off the win in a very close 3-1 loss (32-30, 22-30, 30-24, 35-33).

JULIE CHESTER AND HANNAH SHARP NAMED TO THE ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Two Sooners were named to the University of San Diego Invitational all-tournament team last weekend as the Sooners finishes second in the tournament after a close loss to San Diego.

Seniors Julie Chester and Hannah Sharp were named to the all-tournament team. Chester led the offense to a .232 hitting percentage over the weekend while averaging 14.40 assists per game.

Sharp averaged 4.20 digs per game over the weekend. OU's entire six-member senior class was named to an all-tournament team through OU's three weeks of non-conference action, which included three tournaments.

UP NEXT
Following its trip to Texas A&M, the Sooners will return home for their home conference opener against Kansas this Saturday. First serve between the Sooners and Jayhawks is set for 11 a.m. inside the Howard McCasland Field House. Sooner fans will have an opportunity to catch the volleyball match prior to the 2:30 p.m. home football game.

Additionally, the match will be free of charge. Parking will be limited due to the football game so a shuttle will be at Lloyd Noble beginning at 9:30 a.m. for all volleyball fans.

After Saturday's match, the Sooners will hit the road again on Wednesday, Sept. 19 for a 7 p.m. match up against current No. 19 Kansas State.

SOONERS AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Oklahoma is facing its second ranked opponent of the season with No. 25 Texas A&M, who entered the poll for the first time all year this week. The Sooners faced No. 18 San Diego last weekend but couldn't pull of the win in a close 3-1 loss (32-30, 22-30, 30-24, 35-33).

Last season, the Sooners were 2-4 against ranked teams during the regular season with two of the losses coming against No. 1 Nebraska. Oklahoma upset No. 8 Texas last season, marking the school's first win over a ranked team since 1998.

BLUM NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Oklahoma volleyball player Mariana Blum was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week for the matches of Sept. 4-9. It marked the first time in her career that Blum has received the honor. Destinee Hooker of Texas was named the Offensive Player of the week. Blum posted a conference-leading 5.40 digs per game in 10 games, including sweeps of Virginia and UC-Santa Barbara. She also averaged 0.50 blocks on the week. Blum recorded single-match career highs in digs and kills.

SOONERS FALL FROM TOP 25 POLL
Oklahoma fell out of the top-25 in the poll that came out on Sept. 3, ending a 13-week streak that the Sooners were ranked in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. Oklahoma was ranked No. 22 in the preseason poll that was released on Aug. 14. It marked the first time in school history the Sooners had been ranked in the preseason top 25.

The Sooners had been ranked in the top-25 for 13 straight weeks since entering the poll last October for the first time since 1988, the last time (prior to 2006) in the program's history that the Sooners were slated in the top-25.

The 13-week stretch marked the longest in school history that the Sooners remained in the top 25.

LOOKING SHARP
Senior libero Hannah Sharp has looked solid defensively so far this season as she leads the defense with 4.41 digs per game. The senior also set a career high against Oregon State as she collected 25 digs against the Beavers.

BREAKOUT FRESHMAN
After redshirting last season, freshman Francie Ekwerekwu has started off her rookie campaign with a bang. The Arlington native is averaging 2.21 kills per game and a team-best 0.97 blocks per game.. The rookie is one of four new starters on the squad this season.

TOP SERVES
Head coach Santiago Restrepo's main emphasis during the offseason was for the Sooners to work on their serving. It looks as if it has really paid off as Oklahoma is averaging 1.83 aces per game. Oklahoma is third in the Big 12 in aces per game as Mariana Blum is leading the Sooners with 0.55 per game, which ranks second in the Big 12.

KILLING IT
While only nine matches into the season, the Sooners have improved on their kills per game rate. OU has a variety of options on offense with four different Sooners averaging at least 3.00 kills per game. Currently the Sooners are second in the conference in kills per game with 17.52.

DIGGING IT UP
In addition to serving, Restrepo also had the Sooners work hard on their defense over the spring. It has also paid off as the Sooners, after only nine matches, are leading the conference with 18.03 digs per game. Headlining the defense is senior libero Hannah Sharp. She ranks third among all Big 12 players with 4.31 digs per game Also highlighting the defense for the Sooners is outside hitter Mariana Blum, who is averaging 3.74 digs per game (fourth in Big 12).

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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