Doyle Takes Home Rookie Of The Week Honor

Oct. 15, 2012

NORMAN, Okla. -- University of Oklahoma freshman setter Julia Doyle has been named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week, the conference announced from its Irving, Texas, offices Monday. She joins Texas' Haley Eckerman and Kansas' Brianne Riley who were selected as this week's Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honorees, respectively.

The announcement marks the secondly weekly accolade of Doyle's career in the Crimson and Cream in as many weeks, and the third of the year for the Sooners. Senior libero, Maria Fernanda, was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 10, while Doyle was selected for the same honor last week on Oct. 8.

Doyle's selection marks the fourth straight year that Oklahoma head coach Santiago Restrepo has produced a two-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week as Tara Dunn took home the honor twice in 2011 (Nov. 7, Oct. 24), while Sallie McLaurin was selected a program-best three times in 2010 (Nov. 1, Oct. 18, Oct. 12) and Maria Fernanda took home the honor twice in 2009 (Oct. 5, Sept. 20).

She becomes the first newcomer to take home the weekly accolade more than once this season.

The Plymouth, Minn., native was selected Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive week after she totaled the third double-double in as many matches, and seventh of her freshman campaign against a No. 21 Kansas squad.

Against the Jayhawks, Doyle matched a personal-best 45 assists and added 13 digs to mark the sixth 40-plus assist performance of her freshman campaign. In addition to her double-double, Doyle added four service aces, four block assists and one kill.

With her four service aces against Kansas, Doyle matched an individual match-record for the second time this season after she recorded four service aces in the five-set loss. She becomes just the third Sooner in program history and first in two years, after Brianne Barker recorded four against Houston on Sept. 4, 2010. Chrissy Disarro was the first OU player to ever notch four service aces in a five-set match when she accomplished the same feat against Baylor on Sept. 24, 2008.

Earlier this year, Doyle became the first player in OU history to knock down five service aces in a three-set match.

The Sooners hit the road this week with matches against Texas Tech and Iowa State. Oklahoma will first face the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas, on Wednesday night, and then travel north to Ames, Iowa, for a Saturday night showdown. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. CT, respectively.

For up-to-the-minute updates, follow Oklahoma volleyball on Twitter at @SoonersVB (https://twitter.com/SoonersVB).