Completed Event: Volleyball versus Incarnate Word on August 29, 2025 , Win , 3, to, 0
Final
Volleyball
3
vs Incarnate Word
0
University of Oklahoma Athletics
Sooners Upset No. 3 Texas, 3-2
October 29, 2008 | Volleyball
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AUSTIN, Texas - The University of Oklahoma volleyball team recorded its biggest win of the 2008 season on Wednesday evening, upending third-ranked Texas, 3-2. It was the Sooners' first ever win in Austin and marked OU's second win in the series, dating back to 1975.
The Sooners (9-12, 5-8 Big 12) won the opening set, 25-21 before the Longhorns (16-3, 9-2 Big 12) responded taking the second set, 25-9 and third, 25-22. Oklahoma surged to the challenge in the fourth, winning 25-23 and took the fifth, 15-13.
"This is what you train for all year," said an emotional OU head coach Santiago Restrepo. "There are teams you play and hope you have a chance to beat them. Caitlin (Higgins) did a great job tonight. She is one of those players we rely a lot on and tonight she came through for us."
Of the 15 players on the Sooners' active roster, a total of 12 saw action. Oklahoma was led by the freshman duo of Brianne Barker and Caitlin Higgins. Higgins led the team with 18 kills and 12 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. She hit .311 and also added a block assist.
Barker added 47 assists and 11 digs for her team-leading 11th double-double of the year. Barker led the team with a .417 clip. Sophomore Sarah Freudenrich had 12 kills to aid the Sooners' offensive attack. Redshirt sophomore Francie Ekwerekwu contributed 10 kills, including the final strike in the final set.
In the opening set, the Sooners got service aces from Higgins and senior libero Lacy Barnes and help from several Texas miscues to force a UT timeout with the set tied at 10. Out of the timeout, the set remained close with the two squads trading the lead five times and all square 16 times during the period. With sophomore Jasmine Powell serving for set point, Ekwerekwu got the kill for the Sooners as OU took the first set, 25-21.
Of OU's first set points, 14 were scored off errors committed by the Longhorns, including six attack errors and five service errors. Freudenrich led the Sooners with five kills and hit .714 in the first set, while Higgins led OU defensively with four digs. As a team, Oklahoma hit a .357 clip.
The Longhorns responded in the second set, controlling the set from the opening serve. The Sooners got one kill from Barker before UT rallied off 10 straight points to take a 10-1 lead. OU finally got on the board again following a block from freshman Suzy Boulavsky and sophomore Chrissy Disarro. The Sooners managed to tack on seven additional points in part on kills from Boulavsky and junior Jackie Fotu but the Longhorns proved too much, taking the set, 25-9. In contrast from the first set, the Longhorns hit .609 as a team and recorded five blocks.
The Sooners opened the third set with kills from Higgins, junior Bridget Laplante and Boulavsky before freshman Kylie Cowan recorded her first career service ace to give OU a 4-3 lead. The Sooners then went ahead 6-5 on a block from Higgins and Freudenrich. OU held a 9-7 lead following kills from Freudenrich and Higgins but saw the Longhorns rally to tie the set at 9-all. From there, UT went up 11-9 only to see the Sooners answer to bring the game back to even at 11-11.
After the Longhorns took a 14-11 advantage, Oklahoma got back-to-back kills from Boulavsky to pull within one. UT went up 19-14 before the Sooners chipped away to make the score 19-17 and force Texas to call a timeout. Following the break, Higgins and Ekwerekwu combined for OU's next five points to bring the match even at 22-22. After another UT timeout, the Longhorns recorded three straight points to take the set, 25-22. During the set, the Sooners hit .316 and were led by Higgins' six kills.
Oklahoma's first seven points of the fourth set were scored by Sooners with four kills, one block and a service ace from Higgins. With the match at 7-7, Texas' first attack error of the set gave OU an 8-7 advantage. Texas bounced back to a lead but the Sooners got a block from Barker and Ekwerekwu and a service ace from Powell to regain the momentum at 11-9 and force UT into a timeout.
The Sooners went up 17-12 following kills from Ekwerekwu and Higgins. The Longhorns answered, trimming the OU lead to 19-18 after two service aces. The two teams traded the lead before Barker served for set point at 24-22. The Longhorns managed a kill to force OU to take a timeout. Out of the timeout, Higgins tallied her 15th kill of the evening to give OU the needed point to win, 25-23.
In the deciding set, Texas jumped out to a 3-2 lead before the Sooners got kills from trio of players to go up 7-5. When the teams traded sides, the Sooners led 8-6. Texas tied the set before a kill from Higgins put OU back ahead and Barker's first block solo of the season gave OU a 10-8 lead. Following a block from Ekwerekwu and Laplante the Sooners went up 13-10 and Higgins' third service ace of the evening gave Oklahoma match point at 14-10. Texas scored the next three points to bring the match to 14-13.A kill from Ekwerekwu gave OU the 15-13 win in the fifth set.
Oklahoma returns home Sunday afternoon to take on Baylor in a 2 p.m. CT contest from McCasland Field House. Fans are reminded to set their clocks back one hour Saturday evening. The team hosts Sooner Kids Club Day and the first 250 fans in attendance receive an OU volleyball drawstring bag. The team will also sign autographs following the match.
Players Mentioned
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