Volleyball Takes on Colorado

Sept. 25, 2009

Oklahoma (9-3, 2-1 Big 12) at Colorado (5-7, 0-3 Big 12)
Match 13	Saturday, September 26, 2009 \| 8 p.m. CT
Location	Boulder, Colo. \| Coors Events Conference Center
Tickets	$5 adults \| $2 (seniors/youth)
Internet	Live Stats \| Live Webcast (subscription required)
Game Info	2009 Media Guide \| Match Notes

OKLAHOMA LOOKS TO REBOUND AFTER LOSS
The Oklahoma Sooners take a 2-1 conference mark (9-3 overall) on the road this weekend, traveling to Boulder, Colo. to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. First serve Saturday evening is set for 8 p.m. CT at the Coors Events Conference Center. Live stats are available at SoonerSports.com. OU is seeking its first win in Boulder since 2007.

SOONERS REWIND: KANSAS DOWNS OU IN FIVE
The Oklahoma volleyball team dropped a five-set match to the Kansas Jayhawks Wednesday evening at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. The Sooners won the opening set but fell, 3-2 [25-21, 20-25, 22-25, 27-25, 15-10], to the Jayhawks. Sophomore Caitlin Higgins led OU with a season-high 17 kills, while junior Francie Ekwerekwu added a season-high 15. Higgins had 10 digs for her third double-double of the season. Ekwerekwu added six blocks.

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.

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

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 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 2.78 kills per set and is second on the team with 10 service aces. She averages 0.98 blocks per set. Ekwerekwu has played in 41 sets this year and leads Oklahoma with 3.60 points per set. Kansas was her seventh 10+ kill performance and fourth straight this season.

LAPLANTE'S CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENT
Senior Bridget Laplante recently reached 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.

EARNING AN A IN SERVING
Sophomore Brianne Barker leads the Sooners with 11 service aces on the year. Junior Francie Ekwerekwu is second on the team with 10. 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.

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.

EKWEREKWU ON THE CLIMB
Having already matched her season high of 14 kills once already, junior Francie Ekwerekwu bested the mark at Kansas with 15 kills.

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.

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.

HOME SWEET HOME
Oklahoma finally returned to the friendly confines of the Howard McCasland Field House on Sept. 19. Having already played 12 matches this season, the Sooners are on the road for 11 of those 12 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.

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.

ONE-WOMAN WRECKING CREW
Junior Sarah Freudenrich is causing havoc in most matches she has played in this season. Freudenrich is averaging 2.32 kills per set and hitting a team-best .322. In 11 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 52 blocks on the year, a 1.18 per set average. With five block solos and 47 block assists, Freudenrich is a responsible for 130.5 of the Sooners' 775.5 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 .212 as team in the first 11 matches of the season. They have held opponents to a .135 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 85-178 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.

Players Mentioned

Danielle Alva

Brianne Barker

Suzy Boulavsky

Suzy Boulavsky

Francie Ekwerekwu

Francie Ekwerekwu

Jackie Fotu

Sarah Freudenrich

Sarah Freudenrich

Caitlin Higgins

Caitlin Higgins

Bridget Laplante

Sponsors

University of Oklahoma Athletics