Sooners Look to Extend Streak

Oct. 23, 2009

Oklahoma (13-6, 6-4 Big 12) at No. 5 Nebraska (14-5, 7-3 Big 12)
Match 20	Saturday, October 24, 2009 \| 7 p.m. CT
Location	Lincoln, Neb. \| Nebraska Coliseum
Internet	Live Stats \| Webcast
Game Info	2009 Media Guide \| Match Notes

OU FACES FIFTH STRAIGHT RANKED OPPONENT
For the first time in school history, Oklahoma faces its fifth straight ranked opponent Saturday evening. First serve between the Sooners and fifth-ranked Nebraska is at 7 p.m. CT at Nebraska Coliseum.

SOONERS REWIND: SOONERS SWEET NO. 21 A&M
The University of Oklahoma volleyball team swept Texas A&M in straight sets [-23, -21, -23] on Wednesday night. Oklahoma statistically played evenly against Texas A&M but the Sooners produced a better hitting percentage at .257 to the Aggies' .185 clip. The match lasted just one hour, 32 minutes – aided due to the fact neither team produced a lengthy rally on the night. Oklahoma recorded a higher sideout percentage than the Aggies in all three sets, highlighted by a 71-60 percent margin in the second set. Sophomore Caitlin Higgins led OU with 11 kills, hitting .267 on the night.

SOONERS RAISE FUNDS FOR JIMMY EVEREST CENTER
University of Oklahoma volleyball fans contributed more than $4,000 to the Jimmy Everest Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at the Children's Hospital at OU Medical Center during the team's Pledge for a Cure event on Sept. 30. Visit SoonerSports.com for details on how fans can still contribute monetary donations in memory of Javier Restrepo. To date, contributions total more than $8,000.

OKLAHOMA'S DEFENSE ONE OF NATION'S BEST
Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in digs per set with 17.75, a mark that is ninth in the nation. National leader NJIT averages 20.84 per set. Freshman María Fernanda ranks second in the league in digs per set and 42nd in the nation with 4.84 per set. Senior Bridget Laplante (234th, 3.51) also ranks in the top 250 nationally in digs per set.

FREUDENRICH RANKED IN TOP 120 NATIONALLY
Junior Sarah Freudenrich ranks in the top 120 nationally in blocks per set (72nd, 1.12/set) and hitting percentage (112th, .325). The top 250 student-athletes nationally were ranked in each category.

RESTREPO SIX WINS SHY OF #100
Oklahoma head coach Santiago Restrepo is six wins shy of his 100th victory at the school. In six seasons overseeing the Sooner program, Restrepo owns a mark of 94-76.

LAPLANTE'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENT
Senior Bridget Laplante recently reached the 1,000/1,000 mark for her career. Laplante (1,071 kills and 1,207 digs) becomes just the second Sooner under Restrepo to reach the plateau after Joanna Schmitt accomplished the feat from 2003-06 with 1,730 career kills and 1,177 career digs.

REMEMBERING JAVI: SOONERS CONTINUE MISSION
Throughout the 2009 season, the Oklahoma volleyball team continues their year-long mission to honor the son of their head coach, Santiago Restrepo. When he was just one-and-a-half years old, Javier Restrepo was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). In August 2008, he had a relapse and received a bone marrow transplant and then received a liver transplant but unfortunately relapsed again. Javi fought the disease like a true champion, nearly beating it on multiple occasions before it ultimately claimed his life on July 31, 2009.

SOONERS DOWN RANKED OPPONENTS BACK-TO-BACK
Oklahoma defeated No. 19 Baylor 3-2 on Oct. 17 and followed by sweeping No. 21 Texas A&M on Oct. 21. It marked the first time in school history the Sooners defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back matches. Under Santiago Restrepo, Oklahoma is now 8-41 against ranked opponents with six of those wins coming in the last three seasons. The most wins for OU over ranked opponents was a 3-6 mark in 2007.

OKLAHOMA UPSETS N0. 19 BAYLOR
The University of Oklahoma volleyball team defeated No. 19 Baylor 25-13, 21-25, 25-17, 19-25, 15-12 at McCasland Field House on Oct. 17. It marked Oklahoma's first win over a ranked opponent at home since defeating No. 14 Kansas State 3-1 on Oct. 19, 2007. Sophomore Suzy Boulavsky recorded her first career double-double with a career high 21 kills and a career-high 20 digs. Boulavsky hit a match-high .455, recording just one attack error in 44 attempts. She also brought down five total blocks, including one block solo.

BOULAVSKY NAMED OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
University of Oklahoma sophomore Suzy Boulavsky was named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Oct 19. Boulavsky earned the honor after her stellar performance in Oklahoma's five-set upset of No. 19 Baylor on Saturday. The Houston, Texas, native recorded her first career double-double with a career high 21 kills and a career-high 20 digs. Boulavsky hit a match-high .455, recording just one attack error in 44 attempts. She also brought down five total blocks, including one block solo and one service ace.Boulavsky is the first Sooner to earn the offensive award since the league began distinguishing between offensive and defensive award winners. Freshman María Fernanda earned defensive accolades on Sept. 20 and was named Rookie of the Week on Oct. 5.

BOULAVSKY TABBED CVU.COM TOP PERFORMER
University of Oklahoma sophomore Suzy Boulavsky was also named a CVU.com Top Performer on Oct. 20.

SOONERS' MAGIC NUMBER TWO
After finishing last season two wins shy of a .500 mark (12-16), the 2009 Sooners are two wins away from clinching a winning season with a mark of at least 15-14.

BOULAVSKY EMERGING AS THREAT
Sophomore Suzy Boulavsky is finally getting her due as an offensive threat. Boulavsky leads OU with 179 kills and a 2.63 kps average on the year and has produced double-digit totals in eight matches.

THE TURNAROUND UNDER RESTREPO
Oklahoma has improved dramatically under head coach Santiago Restrepo. The proof is in the numbers produced by the Sooners under Restrepo compared to those prior to his arrival. See this week's match notes for a comparison.

FERNANDA EARNS ROOKIE AWARD
Freshman libero María Fernanda was named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week on Oct. 5, after earning conference Defensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 21. Fernanda is the first Sooner to be named Rookie of the Week since Sarah Freudenrich earned the award Oct. 22, 2008. Fernanda is the only Sooner to be honored twice.

SIDING ON THE RIGHT
Oklahoma has produced a sideout percentage of 100 percent during two sets this season. The rare feat was accomplished against North Carolina and UT-Arlington. It has only been done six times under head coach Santiago Restrepo.

FERNANDA NAMED DEFENSIVE POW
University of Oklahoma freshman libero María Fernanda was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept 20. Fernanda is the first Sooner to be named Defensive Player of the Week since Mariana Blum earned the honor on Sept. 10, 2007. Previously, teammates Sarah Freudenrich (Rookie of the Week; Oct. 22, 2008) and Caitlin Higgins (Offensive Player of the Week; Nov. 3, 2008) were honored with weekly awards.

EKWEREKWU AN OFFENSIVE LEADER
Junior Francie Ekwerekwu currently is second on the team with 2.55 kills per set and is third on the team with 11 service aces. She averages 0.99 blocks per set. Ekwerekwu has played in 67 sets this year and leads Oklahoma with 3.29 points per set.

DUO LEADING IN SERVICE ACES
Sophomores Brianne Barker and Caitlin Higgins lead the Sooners with 13 service aces each on the year. Junior Francie Ekwerekwu is third on the team with 11.

ON TRACK FOR A CAREER MARK
Sophomore setter Brianne Barker has 1,687 career assists already. OU has separate records for each scoring era but Barker's current mark would rank in the top five of both the sideout scoring and 30-point rally scoring records.

DELAYED HOMESTAND
After playing its 12 of its first 13 matches on the road, Oklahoma has six of its next nine matches at home beginning with the Sept. 30 Nebraska match. The streak ends with a home match against Kansas State on Oct. 31.

HOME SWEET HOME
Oklahoma played in the friendly confines of the McCasland Field House for the first time this season on Sept. 19. The last time OU played a home opener later was when the Sooners opened their 2003 home slate on Sept. 24 against Texas. The last time OU played their first two home matches later than Sept. 30 was also in 2003. The Sooners played their second home match against Nebraska on Oct. 4.

BOULAVSKY SETS MARK VS. TECH
Sophomore Suzy Boulavsky recorded a new career high with a .636 hitting percentage against Texas Tech. She also added 15 kills against the Red Raiders.

SOONERS DOMINATE RED RAIDERS
As a team, Oklahoma hit .320 against Texas Tech, marking the sixth time this season OU has hit at least .250 in a match. The Sooners have hit .300 or better on just two occasions - against TTU and a .347 clip against Rice.

EKWEREKWU KEEPS ON CLIMBING
Having already matched her season high of 14 kills once already, junior Francie Ekwerekwu bested the mark at Kansas with 15 kills. She matched her career high of a .562 hitting percentage at Colorado. Ekwerekwu had 11 kills in 16 attempts.

HIGGINS LEADS OU AT KANSAS
Sophomore Caitlin Higgins recorded a season-high 17 kills to lead OU at Kansas. Higgins also added 10 digs for her third double-double this season.

LAPLANTE SETS NEW DIGS MARK
With 27 digs at Kansas, senior Bridget Laplante surpassed her previous career best of 26 set at Kansas State on Oct. 18, 2007.

ALVA COMES UP BIG ON DEFENSE
Sophomore Danielle Alva saw time in all four sets at Kansas State. Alva's 14 digs were a career high, she added a service ace and assist in the win.

ONE-WOMAN WRECKING CREW
Junior Sarah Freudenrich is causing havoc in most matches she has played in this season. Freudenrich is averaging 2.40 kills per set and hitting a team-best .326. In 18 matches played this season, she has 10 or more kills in nine of those contests. Considering her offensive power is potent, what really makes her a valuable commodity is her blocking. She already has 77 blocks on the year, a 1.10 per set average. She has 13 block solos and 64 block assistson the year.

GRAND HOMECOMING
Junior Francie Ekwerekwu had a stellar performance at the UT-Arlington Invitational, earning Most Valuable Player honors. In her return to her hometown, Ekwerekwu led OU with 3.12 kills per set and a .327 hitting percentage. She also recorded nine blocks (1.12/set), including one block solo. Her three service aces and seven digs also contributed to OU winning the tournament with a 2-0 mark.

SOONERS OUT-HITTING OPPONENTS
Oklahoma fares quite well in out-hitting opponents. The Sooners have hit .203 as team in the first 19 matches of the season. They have held opponents to a .149 clip. Defensively, OU is out-digging opponents 17.8 per set to 16.8 per set and 2.3 blocks per to 2.0 blocks per set.

OKLAHOMA AGAINST THE BIG 12
Oklahoma owns a winning series against four Big 12 opponents (Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri) but has just an 89-181 mark in conference play.

SHOCKER CLASSIC ALL-TOURNEY
Freshman María Fernanda was named to the all-tournament for the Best Western Shocker Classic. It marks the second straight weekend the rookie was named among the best at an event. She was previously named to the all-tournament team at the Mizuno Invitational in Houston.

SOONERS HIT WELL AGAINST RICE
As a team, Oklahoma hit .347 against Rice on Aug. 28. The last time the Sooners produced a match with a better percentage was against Seton Hall on Aug. 25, 2007.

TRIO NAMED ALL-TOURNAMENT
Sophomore setter Brianne Barker was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 Mizuno Invitational hosted by Rice. Freshman LB María Fernanda was named to the team as was senior OH Bridget Laplante. Barker averaged 9.85 assists per set and 3.31 digs. Fernanda led OU with 4.23 digs per set and Laplante led the team in kills with 34.