Volleyball Travels To Oklahoma For This Weekend's Conference Match-Up
Sept. 13, 2007
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
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Head coach Ray Bechard and the Kansas volleyball team (7-4, 0-1 Big 12) will look for their first 2007 conference win when they travel to Norman, Okla. Saturday, Sept. 15 for an 11 a.m. match against Big 12 foe Oklahoma.
A Glance At the Jayhawks
Kansas will take a 7-4 overall and 0-1 Big 12 record into Saturday’s match after dropping its conference opener Wednesday night to in-state rival No. 19 Kansas State 3-0. Saturday’s match ends a five-match home streak for the Jayhawks where they went 4-1 at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center.
Sophomore Brittany Williams led KU against Kansas State with a .462 hitting efficiency and is second on the squad with a .263 hitting percentage on the season. Junior Savannah Noyes blasted a team-best 11 kills in the KSU match and recorded a .400 hitting percentage, her second consecutive match swinging .400 or better.
Scouting the Sooners
Oklahoma, currently third in the Big 12, opened the 2007 Big 12 Conference with a 3-2 victory at No. 25 Texas A&M Wednesday night. Four Sooners posted double-digit kills in the win including Mariana Blum (24), Bridget Laplante (21), Anna Stadel (10) and Sarah Weiland (10). Blum and Laplante also added 13 and 14 digs, respectively, for double-doubles. The duo lead OU in kills per game, Blume with 4.03 kpg and Laplante with 3.82 kpg.
The Series
Oklahoma leads the all-time series 40-25 against Kansas. OU was victorious in both meetings last year, but prior to 2006, Kansas was on a nine-match winning streak against the Sooners.
Last Meeting
Kansas last met up with Oklahoma on Oct. 25, 2006, at the Horejsi Family Athletics Center. The Sooners, ranked No. 20 at the time, topped the Jayhawks 3-1 (30-23, 30-19, 27-30, 30-25).
Noyes Making Some Noise
Junior Savannah Noyes has been making her presence on the court more noticable lately. The 6-3 middle blocker has posted a team-best .425 hitting percentage and 2.53 kpg in the Jayhawks’ last five games. In the first match of the season, Noyes tallied a .143 hitting percentage and has steadily improved over the Jayhawks’ last 11 matches, hitting .300 or better in her last five appearances, including .400 in her latest outing versus Kansas State.
Tough Road Ahead
After facing No. 19 KSU Wednesday, the Kansas Jayhawks’ schedule doesn’t get any easier as three other Big 12 schools rank among the top-25 in the country. KU will host No. 1 Nebraska Sept. 26 and No. 25 Texas A&M on Oct. 6, then travel to Austin, Texas Oct. 13 to take on No. 7 Texas.
Follow the Jayhawks
Fans can follow live stats for Saturday’s game at Oklahoma via Gametracker by logging onto KUAthletics.com.
Up Next
Wednesday, Sept. 19 the Kansas Jayhawks will hit the road to take on the Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Mo. for the Border Showdown. Match-time is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Hearnes Center.
