Volleyball Travels to Kansas

Sept. 22, 2009

Oklahoma (9-2, 2-0 Big 12) at Kansas (7-3, 0-1 Big 12)
Match 12	Wednesday, September 23, 2009 \| 6:30 p.m. CT
Location	Lawrence, Kan. \| Horejsi Family Athletics Complex
Tickets	$8 adults \| $5 (seniors/youth)
Internet	Live Stats \| Live Webcast (subscription required)
Game Info	2009 Media Guide \| Match Notes

SOONERS TAKE 2-0 CONFERENCE RECORD TO LAWRENCE
Oklahoma travels to Lawrence, Kan. Wednesday evening to take on the Kansas Jayhawks in a 6:30 p.m. CT contest. The Sooners enter the match with a 2-0 record in conference and look to extend that mark to 3-0 for the first time since 2007. The Jayhawks had the weekend off after falling to Missouri last Wednesday.

SOONERS REWIND: OU COMES BACK TO DOWN MIZZOU
After dropping the opening set, the University of Oklahoma volleyball team answered back to win 3-1 [21-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-15] over the Missouri Tigers Saturday morning at McCasland Field House. The Sooners (9-2, 2-0 Big 12) got a season-high 14 kills from junior Francie Ekwerekwu to down the Tigers (8-4, 1-1 Big 12).

FERNANDA NAMED BIG 12 DEFENSIVE POW
University of Oklahoma freshman libero María Fernanda (Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico) was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept 20. Fernanda becomes the seventh Sooner to earn a conference weekly honor and first this season. Last week, Fernanda led Oklahoma to a 2-0 record to start conference play. The freshman averaged 5.12 digs per set and one assist per set as OU defeated Kansas State and Missouri. On the road against the Wildcats, she matched her season high with 23 digs and added five assists in the 3-1 victory. In the home opener against Missouri, she recorded 18 digs and three assists in another 3-1 win. Fernanda becomes the first Sooner to be named Defensive Player of the Week since Mariana Blum earned the honor on Sept. 10, 2007. Fernanda joins teammates Sarah Freudenrich (Rookie of the Week; Oct. 22, 2008) and Caitlin Higgins (Offensive Player of the Week; Nov. 3, 2008) as current Sooners with weekly award honors.

EKWEREKWU LEADING OU'S OFFENSE
Junior Francie Ekwerekwu currently leads OU offensively with 2.75 kills per set and nine service aces. She is one kill shy of her 100th of the season and also averages 0.94 blocks per set. Ekwerekwu has played in 36 sets this year and leads Oklahoma with 3.53 points per set. Missouri was her sixth 10+ kill performance and fourth straight this season.

LAPLANTE NEARING CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENT
With 1,036 career digs and 998 career kills, senior Bridget Laplante is two kills shy of reaching the 1,000/1,000 mark for her career. Laplante 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.

OKLAHOMA'S DEFENSE ONE OF NATION'S BEST
Oklahoma leads the Big 12 in digs per set with 17.83, a mark that is ninth in the nation. National leader NJIT averages 21.02 per set. Freshman María Fernanda ranks second in the league in digs per set and 44th in the nation with 4.67 per set. Senior Bridget Laplante (235th, 3.45) and sophomore Brianne Barker (242nd, 3.43) also rank in the top 250 nationally in digs per set.

FREUDENRICH RANKED IN TOP 100 NATIONALLY
Junior Sarah Freudenrich ranks in the top 100 nationally in blocks per set (69th, 1.15/set) and hitting percentage (92nd, .348). The top 250 student-athletes nationally were ranked in each category.

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.

EKWEREKWU GETS AN A IN SERVING
Junior Francie Ekwerekwu is tied for the most service aces on the team with nine this season. Ekwerekwu is consistently in the service rotation for the first time in her career. She previously only had one service attempt in 2008 at Southern California. Ekwerekwu leads the team with 0.25 aces per set.

HOME SWEET HOME
Oklahoma finally returned to the friendly confines of the Howard McCasland Field House on Sept. 19. Having already played 11 matches this season, the Sooners were on the road for all 10 of those 11 contests. The last time OU played a home opener later was when the Sooners opened their 2003 home slate on Sept. 24 against Texas. The Sooners are not at home again until Sept. 30. The last time OU played their first two home matches that late was also in 2003. The Sooners played their second home match against Nebraska on Oct. 4.

BOULAVSKY GETTING IT DONE
Sophomore Suzy Boulavsky was OU's X-factor in the win at 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.

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.

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.

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

ONE-WOMAN WRECKING CREW
Junior Sarah Freudenrich is causing havoc in most matches she has played in this season. Freudenrich is averaging 2.41 kills per set and hitting a team-best .348. In 10 matches played this season, she has 10 or more kills in five of those contests. Considering her offensive power is potent, what really makes her a valuable commodity is her blocking. She already has 45 blocks on the year, a 1.15 per set average. With five block solos and 40 block assists, Freudenrich is a responsible for 119 of the Sooners' 689.5 points so far this season.

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 .214 as team in the first 11 matches of the season. They have held opponents to a .121 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 85-177 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.

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

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.

A TALE OF TWO SEASONS
When Oklahoma began the 2008 season, the Sooners returned just two starters. What a difference a year makes. To start the 2009 season, Oklahoma returns all six position starters. Of those six, one is a senior (OH Bridget Laplante). The team's only other senior is OH Jackie Fotu.

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.