Big 12 Play Opens at Home for Volleyball

No. 23 Kansas

Oklahoma

September 27 | 7:00 pm | McCasland Field House | Norman, Okla.

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Stat Comparison
Category	Kansas	OU
Kills	686	636
Errors	258	230
Total Attacks	1725	1555
Attack %	.254	.261
Kills/Set	13.9	13.0
Assists	642	574
Assists/Set	12.8	11.7
Service Aces	59	82
Service Errors	137	134
Digs	756	618
Digs/Set	15.1	12.6
Block Solo	22	23
Block Assists	190	138
Total Blocks	117.0	92.0
Blocks/Set	2.3	1.9

Inidivual Leaders
Category	Kansas	OU
Kills/Set	Albers - 2.96	Holst - 3.02
Assists/Set	Havili - 11.16	Doyle - 10.18
Aces/Set	Rigdon - 0.40	Holst - 0.53
Digs/Set	Wait - 4.90	Migliazzo - 3.51
Blocks/Set	Soucie - 1.36	Spann - 0.94

Player to Watch
Micaela Spann // So. // MB Spann leads the Sooner defense at 0.94 blocks per set and is hitting .276 with 1.70 kills per set. Last weekend, she hit .405 and totaled 10 blocks in 10 sets.

NORMAN, Okla. – Big 12 play kicks off for Oklahoma volleyball at McCasland Field House against No. 23 Kansas at 7:00 pm Saturday, September 27. The two teams last met in the 2013 regular season finale; a 3-1 win for the Sooners over the then-No. 21 Jayhawks at home.

Oklahoma has lost back-to-back matches for the first time since dropping a string of three straight league matches in November of last season. The Sooners enter conference play at 9-4 overall, while junior outside hitter Kierra Holst has emerged as the team's top offensive weapon. The Preseason All-Big 12 pick, leads OU at 3.02 kills per set and is hitting .244. Sophomore outside hitter Kimmy Gardiner is second on the team in both kills (2.88) and hitting percentage (.305). Freshman middle blocker Marion Hazelwood is hitting a team-high .322 and ranks fourth in kills (2.29). Junior setter Julia Doyle manages an offense that ranks third in the Big 12 in hitting at .261 with a 10.18 assists per set average.

Promotions: Saturday is “Volleyball Camper Reunion Night” at McCasland. Admission for summer campers is $4. Players will be available for post-match autographs, while the match is also the second Raising Canes Challenge of the season. If the Sooners record five or more service aces, a match ticket is good for buy-one-get-one meals at any Norman location the following day.

On the Air: The match will be broadcast by Sooners Sports TV and can be found on FCS-Central. Veteran OU broadcasters Chad McKee and Laura Alford return to call the action on the court.

1^st Rotation – Last Time They Met

Oklahoma hit a collective .341 in a 3-1 upset of No. 21 Kansas in front of 1,078 at McCasland to close out the regular season on November 30, 2013. The Sooners dropped the first set, 16-25, but won each of the next three; 25-17, 25-19 and 25-16. It was the third win of the season for OU against a ranked opponent. The Sooners evened the match by hitting .345 in the second and hit .500 in the third to take the lead. Sallie McLaurin paced OU with 14 kills and Doyle collected 45 assists.

2^nd Rotation – Scouting the Jayhawks

Kansas is in the AVCA Coaches Poll for the third straight week; coming in at No. 23 with a 12-2 record and winner of three in a row. The Jayhawks two losses have come at home to Lipscomb and against No. 3 Penn State at a neutral site. Chelsea Albers leads KU at 2.96 kills per set, while Kayla Cheadle is hitting a team-high .373, which ranks third in the Big 12, with 2.21 kills per set. Setter Ainise Havili ranks third in the Big 12 at 11.16 assists per set. Libero Cassie Wait is also third in the league in digs per set at 4.90.

3^rd Rotation – All-Time vs. KU

Oklahoma leads the all-time series, 47-32. Kansas swept the season-series in 2012 and won its third in a row against the Sooners at home on October 9, 2013. OU ended that streak with a 3-1 win at home on November 30, 2013 for its first win over the Jayhawks since sweeping the season-series in 2011. The series started with a 2-0 OU win in 1976.

4^th Rotation – Know Your Back Row

Junior Taylor Migliazzo anchors the Sooner defense as she returns to the libero role for a second season. She leads the team in digs per set at 3.51 and has added 26 assists on the year. A consistent rotation of sophomore Lauren English and freshman Emma Kelly, who has started three matches at libero, have joined Migliazzo. Kelly averages 1.47 digs per set and English has contributed five service aces. Senior Kaitlyn Drawe has also mixed in with 23 sets played and 1.00 digs per set.

5^th Rotation – Last Time Out

The Sooners went 1-2 in the “Tar Heel State” last weekend, which ended with a 3-0 sweep against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Oklahoma was swept for the first time this season; 18-25, 15-25, 20-25. Holst led the OU attack with 13 kills, while Hazelwood finished second with eight on a .316 hitting percentage.

6^th Rotation – Up Next

The calendar turns to October when Oklahoma welcomes TCU to McCasland on Wednesday for a 7:00 pm match.