Volleyball Takes Down UCA, 3-1

Aug. 29, 2009

Oklahoma 3, Central Arkansas 1 | Box Score: PDF | HTML

	1	2	3	4	5	F
Oklahoma	25	20	25	25	x	3
UCA	22	25	8	10	x	1

Stat Leaders
Oklahoma	Statistic	Central Arkansas
Fernanda (17)	Digs	Curl (13)
Barker (40)	Assists	Smith, R. (29)
Boulavsky (15)	Kills	Smith, C. (16)
Laplante (.462)	Hitting %	Smith, C. (.146)
Freudenrich (4)	Blocks	Franklin (4)

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HOUSTON – The University of Oklahoma women's volleyball team responded after dropping a set to defeat Central Arkansas, 3-1 [25-22, 20-25, 25-8, 25-10], to close out the 2009 Mizuno Invitational on Saturday afternoon. Behind a career-high 15 kills from Houston native and sophomore Suzy Boulavsky, the Sooners (4-0) open the season 4-0 for the first time since beginning the year 8-0 in 2004.

“After dropping that second set, we just needed to get re-energized,” said OU head coach Santiago Restrepo. “Central Arkansas is a very good team, and we just needed to get back to being the disciplined team we are.”

Oklahoma jumped out to a 10-7 lead in the opening set only to see the Sugar Bears (1-2) rally to the set at 13. After regaining a three-point lead, OU saw UCA once again answer, this time notching the score at 16-16. The Sooners took the final lead at 18-17 and held on to win the opening period, 25-22.

Central Arkansas turned the tables in the second set. Oklahoma's only led in the period came on the opening point. UCA jumped out to a 6-5 lead and never looked back. The Sooners were never able to respond in the set as the Bears won 25-20.

Oklahoma returned to composure in the third set, winning 25-8. After early rallies, the Sooners went ahead 6-2 and never allowed the Sugar Bears to get closer than four points. In the fourth set, OU took an early 4-0 advantage before doubling up the score at 10-5. From there, the Sooners continued their dominance in taking the set, 25-10 and the match 3-1.

Boulavsky's 15 kills went along with her three block assists. Senior Bridget Laplante recorded her first double-double of the season with 14 kills and 14 digs. Laplante led OU with a .462 hitting percentage.

“Suzy worked hard over the summer to get her shoulder going,” Restrepo said. “She has a lot of power and tenacity and her extra work has aided her game tremendously. She's going to have to continue to do that for us and be a key component for us.”

After getting a break in this morning's contest, junior Sarah Freudenrich returned to form, netting another 10-kill performance. Freudenrich hit a .348 clip and added four block assists. On the week, she averaged 3.00 kills per set and recorded 13 total blocks.

“We rested Sarah this morning,” Restrepo added. “She was solid all weekend, and we couldn't be happier with what she's contributed so far. She's very powerful and quick in the middle. We're going to need her to do that throughout the season.”

Freshman Maria Fernanda led the Sooners defensively with 17 digs and two service aces, while sophomore Caitlin Higgins aided with 16. Higgins also contributed eight kills. Junior Francie Ekwerekwu had seven kills and three block assists.

The Sooners return to action next weekend at the Best Western Shocker Classic hosted by Wichita State. OU opens with Grambling State on Friday at 4:30 p.m. The Sooners face North Carolina on Saturday at 10 a.m. before taking on host Wichita State at 7:30 p.m. CT.