Sooners Return Home For Oklahoma Invitational

Week Four \| Oklahoma Invitational
Day 1: Friday, September 14	Game 1: Arkansas-Little Rock vs. New Mexico at 5 p.m. Game 2: Oklahoma vs. SMU at 7 p.m.	Day 2: Saturday, September 15	Game 3: New Mexico vs. SMU at 10 a.m. Game 4: Oklahoma vs. Arkansas-Little Rock at noon Game 5: Arkansas-Little Rock vs. SMU at 5 p.m. Game 6: Oklahoma vs. New Mexico at 7 p.m.
Location	Norman, Okla. \| McCasland Field House
Online	Live Stats \| Twitter (@SoonersVB)
Promos and Tickets	Schedule Posters, Autographs & More \| Tickets
Additional Info	2012 OU Cumulative Stats (as of 9/8)

TAKE NOTE

Ameritas Players Challenge

Oklahoma finished second at the Ameritas Player Challenge
with a 2-1 record on the weekend. The Sooners Fell to No. 1
Nebraska but claimed wins over then-No. 19 Kentucky and
Duquesne. Both Maria Fernanda and Sallie McLaurin were
selected as OU's represenatives on the All-Tournament team.

BLOCK IT UP

OU recorded a new four-set match record in its win over Kentucky. The Sooners totaled 30 block assists to lead the way past the Wildcats. Freshman Kiera Holst totaled a personal-best 11 blocks, including 9 block assists. Salllie McLaurin and Julia Doyle each totaled 6 block assists, while Keila Rodriguez added 5.

ACE IT

Three Sooners combined to meet a match record against Arkansas as the team totaled eight service aces in four sets. Both Julia Doyle and Tara Dunn contributed three service aces a piece - a new personal-best for Dunn, a sophomore outside hitter - while Keila Rodriguez added two.

NORMAN, Okla. - The University of Oklahoma volleyball team returns home, and welcomes SMU (2-7), Arkansas-Little Rock (4-5) and New Mexico (10-1) as the Sooners host the 2012 Oklahoma Invitational Friday, Sept. 14 through Saturday, Sept. 15, at the Howard McCasland Field House.

The Sooners are the reigning Oklahoma Invitational champions, having won the event a year ago when they defeated Arkansas-Little Rock, Texas Southern and Boise State.

The Crimson and Cream face off against the SMU Mustangs at 7 p.m. on Friday, the Trojans of UALR at noon on Saturday and the New Mexico Lobos at 7 p.m. on Saturday evening. All Oklahoma matches will air tape-delayed courtesy of both FS Oklahoma and FS Oklahoma+ with host Chad McKee and color commentary by Brandon Files.

Friday's match against SMU will air at 10:30 p.m. Friday night on FS Oklahoma, with Saturday's match against UALR Saturday evening at 10:30 p.m. on FS Oklahoma+ and the closing match against New Mexico airing on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. on FS Oklahoma.

Oklahoma is coming off of a second-place finish at the 2012 Ameritas Player Challenge where the Sooners fell to No. 1 Kansas (0-3; 14-25, 11-25, 16-25), and claimed a pair of wins over then-No. 19 Kentucky (3-1; 25-20, 25-20, 17-25, 25-22), and fellow tournament competitor, Duquesne (3-0; 25-17, 25-23, 25-20).

Following the Challenge, senior libero Maria Fernanda was named the Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Week, for Oklahoma's first weekly honor of the 2012 season. The OU defensive specialist was also selected to the Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament team for her performances against the Huskers, Wildcats and Dukes, which saw her total 59 digs in a matter of three matches.

Fellow Sooner, junior middle blocker Sallie McLaurin, was also named to the All-Tournament team as one-of-two OU representatives.

It's been just a year since the Mustangs and Sooners last saw each other on the court at last year's Nike Invitational, which saw OU claim a three-set sweep. Four weeks into the 2012 season, and SMU has had a slow start with a 2-7 record, including a pair of five-set losses against Georgia Tech and Wichita State. Despite their record, SMU has lost seven sets by the minimum two points.

Oklahoma has claimed the last four meetings against UALR, each in three sets since 1998, including last year's matchup at the 2011 Oklahoma Invitational. The Trojans are led by a group of sophomores, including team standout Edina Begic who leads the nation in points per set at 6.1 and her team with 5.31 kills per set.

Twenty three years have passed since New Mexico and Oklahoma haven taken to the court against one another. In 1989, the Lobos swept past the Sooners in three sets to cut OU's series lead, 2-1. Today, New Mexico is on a hot-streak with a 10-1 record, including three consecutive tournament and nine-straight match wins with a 3-0 weekend at the Sheraton Airport/Comcast Lobo Invitational where New Mexico topped Georgia Southern, Portland and UCSB.

The Oklahoma Invitational is the final pre-conference tournament for the Crimson and Cream, as the Sooners will begin Big 12 play next week when Kansas State travels to Norman on Wednesday, Sept. 19. Oklahoma plays just one non-conference match after this weekend, when they host Wichita State on Wednesday, October 3 at the McCasland Field House.

For all the latest information on Oklahoma volleyball, please log on to www.SoonerSports.com or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow Oklahoma volleyball on Twitter at @SoonersVB (https://twitter.com/SoonersVB).