OU Morgantown Bound

NORMAN – Oklahoma volleyball heads east Saturday for its first Big 12 road contest. The Sooners are slated for a 1 p.m. meeting with West Virginia.

GAMEDAY STORYLINES

LAST TIME OUT

OU swept TCU Wednesday night to open Big 12 play in statement fashion.

The Sooners (9-3, 1-0 Big 12) ousted the Horned Frogs (5-6, 0-1 Big 12) 25-17, 25-17, 25-23 to remain undefeated (5-0) inside McCasland Field House this season.

OU put on a show, swinging .248 with 42 kills on the contest. Ashlynn Dunbar led the team with 13 while Sarah Maras chipped in eight.

The Sooners' dominant defense held TCU to .073, OU's lowest opponent hitting percentage this season. Oklahoma out-blocked TCU 7.0-5.0 and out-dug the Horned Frogs 57-51. Keyton Kinley had a team- and match-high 16 digs on the night.

BACK FOR MORE IN THE BIG 12

The Sooners proved themselves as conference contenders last season as they finished for third after being picked sixth in the preseason poll. A tie for third marked OU's best Big 12 finish since 2014 and matched its second-best finish all-time with a 9-7 mark against the conference.

A program-high four Sooners were named All-Big 12, including returners Kylee McLaughlin (first team), Keyton Kinley (first team) and Paige Anderson (second team). 2018 was just the third time in program history that multiple Oklahoma athletes have earned end-of-year awards from the league as McLaughlin was tabbed Setter of the Year and Kinley Libero of the Year.

TOP-OF-THE-LEAGUE DEFENSE

Heading in to Big 12 play, OU's defense leads the league in digs per set (16.26 and is second in opponent hitting percentage, holding other teams to .170. The Sooners are 8-0 when holding opponents to .100 to .199 and 1-0 when holding teams to .000 to .099.

Kinley is the current conference leader in digs with 224 to her name. She also leads the league in digs per set with 5.33. The next closest defender (Alexa Hasting of West Virginia) has 201 digs on the year.

At the net, middle blocker Brianna Kadiku is the Big 12 leader in blocks with 53 total and a 1.36 blocks per set average.

NATION'S BEST

Two Sooners rank in the top 30 among Division I volleyball players in three different statistical categories. Kinley currently ranks 17th in digs per set with 5.31. Kinley is the only Big 12 player in the top 30 in that category. McLaughlin is tied for 26th in the NCAA in total assists with 468 and is the second-ranked player in the Big 12.

Additionally, OU is No. 32 nationally in digs per set (16.43) and is the only Big 12 team in the top 50 of that list.

BATTING .400

Kadiku has hit .400 or above five times this season, with +.400 marks in two of the last three contests. The senior hit a .500 clip at Texas A&M, putting down 10 kills on 16 attempts with just two errors. Her .500 hitting percentage at Texas A&M is a season-best for Kadiku.

Against SMU, Kadiku had 11 kills on 19 attempts with just three errors for .421. 11 kills marked her fourth double-digit kills performance this season. A force at the net, Kadiku had seven total blocks at Texas A&M and six against SMU.

ANDERSON'S GOT AMMO

Junior middle blocker Anderson has come into her own as an attacker this season. As a sophomore in 2018, she had six performances with double-digit kills all season; through 11 matches in 2019, she has matched that number.

Anderson has registered five games with kills in double figures, including a season-high 17 against Georgia Tech at the Nike Invitational for a new career best. The McKinney, Texas, native went off during the three matches of the Nike Invitational, tallying a team-high 38 kills on a .408 clip en route to tournament MVP honors.

Anderson posted 11 kills at Texas A&M on a .308 clip, and was just shy of double digits with nine against SMU as she swung .353. The junior contributed five on 13 attempts with just one error aginst TCU for .308.

DOUBLE THE DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Two Sooners have had multiple double-doubles this season. Graduate transfer Ashlynn Dunbar registered back-to-back double-doubles at Texas A&M and against SMU while junior setter McLaughlin has had seven through 12 matches this season.

Against the Aggies, Dunbar has 19 kills to go with 12 digs. She put away 16 kills against SMU while adding 15 digs.

McLaughlin's seven double-doubles came consecutively, beginning with the Chicago State match on Aug. 30 through the Georgia Tech contest Sep. 14. The junior notched 14 double-doubles last season and is on track to surpass that mark.

McLaughlin ranks second on the team in digs with 139 behind only libero Kinley, who has 224 on the year. A dual threat, McLaughlin has six outings with four or more kills with a season high of seven against Louisiana.

QUICK HITS

OU is 8-1 in the month of September.
Oklahoma is 171-258 (.397) all-time against the Big 12.

SCOUTING REPORT

WVU

West Virginia enters the contest at 8-5 on the year and 0-1 against the conference. The Mountaineers saw their five-match winning streak snapped Wednesday night as they fell to Texas Tech 3-1 in the Big 12 opener. OU leads the all-time series with WVU 14-1. The Sooners swept the Mountaineers in both matches last year.

UP NEXT

OU is on the road again Wednesday for a 7 p.m. meeting with Baylor.

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