OU volleyball: OU looks to bounce back against Kansas
Scott Starr
Freshman setter Julia Doyle scores against Baylor Friday night in Norman. The Sooners swept all three matches.
When the Oklahoma volleyball team travels to take on No. 22 Kansas at 6 tonight in Lawrence, it looks to continue its bounce back ability.
The Sooners are 7-1 this year when following a loss with the latest happening after they fell to then-No. 8 Texas on Oct. 28. They then swept Texas Tech in three sets to start a three-game winning streak, which included a sweep of West Virginia and a four-set victory of Baylor on Wednesday.
The streak was halted when No. 20 Iowa State swept the Sooners on Staurday afternoon, giving the Cyclones the series sweep. The only time the Sooners have lost two in a row was losing to the Cyclones in Ames on Oct. 20 followed by the loss to Texas on Oct. 28.
The loss to Iowa State also was a setback for the Sooners’ chances of contending for the Big 12 title, and they now sit tied for fourth with Kansas State with an 8-5 conference record.
The match is the fourth time this season that Oklahoma has faced back-to-back top-25 opponents with varying results. The first occurrence was in the Ameritas Players Challenge, where the Sooners fell to then-No. 1 Nebraska in three sets and defeated then-No. 19 Kentucky for their first win over a top-25 opponent this season. The next was a sweep against then-No. 12 Kansas State in Norman, but later swept by then-No. 9 Texas and then the aforementioned losses to Texas and Iowa St. in late October.
Overall, the Sooners are 2-7 this season against top 25 opponents but have the chance to improve that record with a win against Kansas.
Junior Sallie McLaurin leads the Sooner offense with 2.85 k/s and a .362 hitting percentage, second place in the Big 12. She also is second in the Big 12 with 1.38 blocks per set.
Senior libero Maria Fernanda needs just five digs to take the second spot on the Big 12’s career digs list — she currently has 2,106 career digs. Fernanda trails only Baylor’s Allison King (2,110) and Iowa State’s Ashley Mass (2,294) on the all-time list.
The Jayhawks have been one of the league’s best home teams (13-1) with their only loss coming in five sets against No. 3 Texas.
Junior middle blocker Caroline Jarmoc is the Big 12’s leader in hitting percentage (.386) and is ranked in the top five in kills (3.55, 4th), blocks (1.32, 4th) and points (4.55, 3rd).
The Sooners lead the series 46-30. However, Kansas holds the advantage in Lawrence with a 17-15 advantage.
The Oklahoma Daily is committed to serving you with accurate coverage. Please submit a correction request if you find an error, and an editor will review the mistake.
Join the conversation
The Oklahoma Daily is pleased to provide you the opportunity to share your thoughts and views about the issues of the day. By joining the conversation, you agree to the terms and conditions listed in our comment policy. Log in to your Facebook account to leave a comment.
Read the OUDaily.com Comment Policy to learn more about our guidelines