Big 12 Play Continues at Home

NORMAN – The Oklahoma volleyball team continues Big 12 play at home Saturday as it hosts Kansas. The match is set for a 5 p.m. CT start and a webcast will be available via soonersports.tv.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

LAST TIME OUT

In its first match against a ranked opponent, OU fell to AVCA No. 1 Baylor 3-0 in Waco, Texas. The Bears took the match 25-16, 25-19, 25-12 to move to 12-0 on the year.

PROTECT THIS HOUSE

The Sooners will look to maintain a perfect record at home as Kansas comes to town Saturday. OU is undefeated (5-0) at McCasland Field House this season. The Sooners have given up just four sets across its home contests in 2019. Oklahoma swept the competition at the OU Nike Invitational Sept. 13-4, downing Arizona State (3-2), Louisiana (3-0) and Georgia Tech (3-1).

The Sooners closed out the non-conference slate with a 3-1 win against SMU Sept. 21 and swept TCU in the Big 12 opener on Sept. 25. OU has hit .232 inside McCasland Field House while holding opponents to .156 in home matches.

KINLEY NAMED DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Kinley was named the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Week on September 30 after anchoring an OU defense that led the Big 12 in digs during the first week of conference play. The libero registered 41 digs across two matches to average 5.86 digs per set, both league highs.

Behind Kinley, OU held its opponents to a .099 hitting percentage, good for second in the Big 12.

Kinley had a match-high 17 digs and chipped in two assists and two kills against TCU. The Lexington, Ky., product followed that performance up with 24 digs to go with five assists at West Virginia.

DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS

Through one full week of Big 12 play, OU leads the conference in digs per set with 16.35 and is second in total digs with 883. The Sooners have registered the second-most blocks with 128 while checking in at No. 3 in blocks per set with 2.37.

OU has held its opponents to a .167 hitting percentage in 2019, the second lowest among Big 12 schools.

Individually, Kinley leads all Big 12 players in both digs (248) and digs per set (5.39). The junior has 23 more digs than the next closest player (Alexa Hasting of West Virginia).

Brianna Kadiku registered 12 blocks during the first week of Big 12 competition to rank first among league players in that category. With seven blocks at West Virginia, Kadiku accounted for half of OU's 13 total team blocks. The senior paces the Big 12 in blocks per set with 1.40 on the year. Kadiku has put up 60 blocks this season, just one behind conference leader Avery Rhodes (Iowa State), who has 61.

NATION'S BEST

OU ranks in the top 50 among Division I volleyball players in two different statistical categories. The Sooners are 26^th nationally in digs per set with 16.66 checking in as the highest-ranked Big 12 school and the only member of the conference in the top 100. Oklahoma is 48^th in total digs with 883.

Two OU players rank in the top 30 in individual statistical categories. Setter McLaughlin is 25^th in total assists as she has registered 550 this season. Knley is No. 29 nationally in digs per set with a 5.06 average. Kinley is the Big 12 leader and one of just three Power Five players in the top 30.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE DUNBAR

Outside hitter Dunbar has recorded double-doubles in five of OU's last eight matches, reaching double figures in kills and digs in all five. The Seabrook, Texas, native has tallied double-digits in kills in the Sooners' last five consecutive contests, including 19 at West Virginia.

Dunbar has proven herself as OU's go-to attacker with 458 hitting attempts. Dunbar leads OU in kills with 147 this season, and is fifth on the team in digs with 94 and is the only hitter among the Sooners' digs leaders.

QUICK HITS

Oklahoma is approaching 800 wins all-time, sitting at 799 heading into the Kansas match.
OU is undefeated (5-0) at home.
The Sooners went 8-1 in the month of September.

SCOUTING REPORT

KANSAS

Kansas is 4-8 on the year and 0-2 in Big 12 matches. The Jayhawks fell to Iowa State 3-0 Wednesday in Ames. The Jayhawks have lost their last six matches.

The Sooners lead the all-time series 49-40. The teams split the 2018 series, with Kansas winning 3-2 in Norman and OU prevailing 3-2 in Lawrence.

UP NEXT

OU heads to Austin, Texas, for a Red River clash on October 12 at 5 p.m. CT.

For updates, follow @OU_Volleyball on Twitter or like Oklahoma Volleyball on Facebook.