Volleyball Sweeps No. 20 Baylor

Nov. 4, 2009

Oklahoma 3, #20 Baylor 0 | Box: PDF | HTML

	1	2	3	4	5	F
Oklahoma	25	25	25	x	x	3
Baylor	22	20	22	x	x	0

Stat Leaders
Oklahoma	Statistic	Baylor
Laplante (15)	Digs	Two players (10)
Barker (44)	Assists	Barnes (31)
Ekwerekwu (18)	Kills	Sanders (11)
Ekwerekwu (.654)	Hitting %	Barnes (.615)
Freudenrich (3)	Blocks	Campbell (5)

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WACO, Texas – The University of Oklahoma volleyball team matched a program high with its third win over a ranked opponent this season as the Sooners (16-7, 9-5 Big 12) dropped No. 20 Baylor in straight sets (-22, -20, 22) on Wednesday evening. Oklahoma previously defeated three ranked opponents during the 2007 campaign. It also marked the Sooners' first season sweep of the Bears (19-6, 8-6 Big 12) since that same season.

“We just needed to settle down in that first set,” said Oklahoma head coach Santiago Restrepo. “We just needed to relax and play our style of volleyball. Francie (Ekwerekwu) was unbelievable. She was pumped to play against (former club teammate) Taylor Barnes. Her performance tonight is what we expect out of her. We knew we'd have to play tough and be disciplined. We were able to do that.”

Junior Francie Ekwerekwu led Oklahoma with a season-high 18 kills, just one shy of her career high, and a .654 hitting percentage, committing just one attack error in 26 attempts. Sophomore Suzy Boulavsky added 13 kills, while sophomore Caitlin Higgins added 10. Defensively, three Sooners totaled double-digit digs with senior Bridget Laplante leading the way with 15. Freshman Maria Fernanda added 11, and sophomore Brianne Barker contributed 10. Barker also dished out 44 assists for her 18th double-double this season.

Junior Sarah Freudenrich was the Sooners' top block with three block assists. Barker and Boulavsky each added two block assists. Higgins matched a season-high with two service aces.

The two teams each attempted 122 attacks and committed 14 attack errors. Oklahoma recorded 52 kills and 51 assists on those daggers, while Baylor had 45 kills. The Sooners produced a .311 hitting percentage on the night compared to the Bears' .254 clip.

Oklahoma came from behind in dramatic fashion in the opening frame. Trailing 14-8, the Sooners went on an 8-1 run to take a 16-15 lead. The set's 15-all tie was the only equalizer of the set and Oklahoma's run produced the set's only lead change. After capturing the advantage, the Sooners pushed the run to 16-4 to reach set point at 24-20. But, the Bears would not go quietly, scoring the next two points before Freudenrich connected on a kill to give OU the win, 25-22.

The second set featured nine ties and four lead changes early in the period. Oklahoma gained the lead at 10-9 and fended off the Bears down the stretch to win the set 25-20. Out of the 10-minute intermission, the third set was all Sooners early. Jumping out to a 7-2 margin, Baylor was forced to call a timeout. After the Sooners extended the margin to six points at 8-2, the Bears slowly began to creep back into the set. After Oklahoma scored its 10th point of the set, BU put together a small 4-1 run to get to within one at 11-10. The two teams stayed close after that with the Sooners never getting ahead by more than two. After a 17-all tie, OU was able to seize a one-point buffer before going up 23-21. The Sooners held off the Bears to win the set, 25-22.

With the win, Oklahoma is 3-5 on the year against ranked opponents – No. 19 and No. 20 Baylor and No. 21 Texas A&M. It was also Oklahoma's third win over a team ranked in the top 50 of the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index.

“You always want to have those ranked opponent wins on your NCAA Tournament resume,” Restrepo added. “We've discussed building that resume with this team. That's what our mission is down this final stretch.”

The Sooners look to continue the winning streak Saturday, hosting the Kansas Jayhawks in a 2 p.m. CT contest at McCasland Field House.