Volleyball Opens at Home Saturday

Sept. 18, 2009

Missouri (8-3, 1-0 Big 12) at Oklahoma (8-2, 1-0 Big 12)
Match 11	Saturday, September 19, 2009 \| 11:30 a.m. CT
Location	Norman, Okla. \| McCasland Field House
Tickets	Free admission
Promotions	Fan Appreciation Day \| Sooner Nation Weekend
Internet	Live Stats
Game Info	2009 Media Guide \| Match Notes

SOONERS OPEN HOME SLATE AGAINST MISSOURI
Oklahoma opens the home portion of the 2009 schedule on Saturday morning, taking on the Missouri Tigers in an 11:30 a.m. CT contest from McCasland Field House. Admission to the match is free on Fan Appreciation Day and Sooner Nation members receive double points for attending.

SOONERS REWIND: OKLAHOMA OUTLASTS KSU, 3-1
In true Big 12 fashion, defense was the star of the match as Oklahoma faced Kansas State Wednesday evening at Ahearn Field House. A match that featured a combined 194 digs, 17 blocks and several long rallies saw the Sooners open the conference season with a 3-1 [26-24, 24-26, 25-21, 25-15] victory over the Wildcats.

BOULAVSKY GETTING IT DONE IN THE FRONT ROW
Sophomore Suzy Boulavsky was OU's X-factor in the win over Kansas State. Boulavsky added 12 kills, marking the fourth match this season she has had 10 or more. Boulavsky also tallied a career high with seven block assists.

EKWEREKWU CONTINUES TO COME THROUGH
Junior Francie Ekwerekwu led the Sooners with 13 kills against the Wildcats. It was her fifth 10+ kill performance and third straight this season. Ekwerekwu currently leads the Sooners is kills per set (2.66) and points per set (3.45).

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

SIDING ON THE RIGHT
Oklahoma has produced a sideout percentage of 100 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.

FREUDENRICH: A ONE-WOMAN WRECKING CREW
Junior Sarah Freudenrich is causing havoc in most matches she has played in this season. Freudenrich is averaging 2.49 kills per set and hitting a team-best .349. In nine matches played this season, she has had 10 kills in four of those contests. Considering her offensive power is potent, what really makes her a valuable commodity is her blocking. She already has 42 blocks on the year, a 1.20 per set average. With four block solos and 38 block assists, Freudenrich is a responsible for 110 of the Sooners' 621.5 points so far this season.

EKWEREKWU HAS 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.

HOME SWEET HOME
Oklahoma finally gets to return to the friendly confines of the Howard McCasland Field House. Having already played 10 matches this season, the Sooners have been on the road for all 10 of those contests. The last time OU played a home opener that late was in 2003. The Sooners opened their home slate on Sept. 24 against Texas.

OFF TO A BETTER START THIS TIME AROUND
Compared to a year ago, Oklahoma ended ahead in the stats category in 2009 as compared to 2008. With a 7-2 record, the Sooners finished ahead of their 4-4 mark last season. Oklahoma also fared better in on both sides of the ball. The Sooners' attack percentage this year was .225 compared to .173 in 2008 and digs per set was 17.2 in 2009 compared to 15.2 a year ago.

PLEDGE FOR A CURE
Head coach Santiago Restrepo's youngest son, Javier, passed away in July at the age of four after a three-year battle with leukemia. On Wednesday, Sept. 30, the Sooner volleyball program will honor the life of little Javi. Fans have the chance to make a difference through monetary donations to the Jimmy Everest Center at The Children's Hospital at the OU Medical Center. For more information about the Pledge for a Cure event, including details of the Bob Stoops/Sherri Coale autograph session, visit the volleyball page at www.SoonerSports.com.

FERNANDA OFF TO A GREAT START
Already this season, freshman María Fernanda has started every match at libero. She's getting the job done on the back row, averaging 4.68 digs per set. She set her season high against North Carolina with 23 defensive helpers. Fernanda has had 20 or more digs in five matches this season.

HIGGINS GETS BACK IN HER GROOVE
Sophomore Caitlin Higgins had an excellent match against UT-Arlington. Higgins recorded her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and a career-high 23 digs.

SOONERS OUT-HITTING OPPONENTS
Oklahoma fares quite well in out-hitting opponents. The Sooners have hit .217 as team in the first 10 matches of the season. They have held opponents to a .123 clip.

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 84-177 mark in conference play.

DOUBLE VISION
Sophomore Brianne Barker and senior Bridget Laplante lead OU in double-doubles this season. Barker had three double-doubles in the first weekend, while Laplante had one. Barker followed up with two more double-doubles at the Best Western Shocker Classic and Laplante added one more to her tally. Barker got her sixth of the season against UT-Arlington and seventh against Kansas State. For good measure, sophomores Kylie Cowan and Caitlin Higgins each had their first double-doubles of the season in Wichita. Higgins added another against UTA.

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 TAKEN TO LIMIT
After breezing through the opening weekend with three three-set matches and one that went four, the Sooners played back-to-back five setters to open the Best Western Shocker Classic. OU dropped Grambling State in five before winning the first two against North Carolina and falling to the Tar Heels in five.

BOULAVSKY NETS CAREER HIGH
Sophomore Suzy Boulavsky netted a career-high 15 kills against Central Arkansas.

GETTING A LITTLE PLAYING TIME
Every Sooner on the 2009 roster has seen playing time this year.

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.

SOONERS SELECTED FOR ESPNU
Oklahoma's home match against Nebraska on Sept. 30 has been selected for national broadcast by ESPNU. The match between the Sooners and Huskers tips at 6 p.m. CT at McCasland Fieldhouse.