Correa Records 1,000th Kill As KU Falls to #25 Oklahoma
Oct. 7, 2006
NORMAN, Okla. –
Senior Jana Correa notched her 1,000th career kill as <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Kansas volleyball fell to No. 25 Oklahoma in three games, 21-30, 24-30 and 30-32, in Big 12 Conference action Saturday night at the McCasland Field House. Correa, who totaled a team-best 14 kills on the night, got her 1,000th kill in the final stanza of the match.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
With the loss, the Jayhawks dipped to 8-9 overall and 1-7 in league play, while the 25th-ranked Sooners improved to 14-3 and 6-1.
Correa, who has totaled 14 or more kills in 14 matches this season, is the ninth Jayhawk in school history to record 1,000 career kills. Junior Emily Brown led the Kansas defense with 15 digs and added 13 kills for her seventh double-double of the season.
Freshman Brittany Williams and sophomore Savannah Noyes each totaled eight kills in the effort and senior Jamie Mathewson notched nine digs. Redshirt freshman Katie Martincich led KU with 42 assists to go with her nine digs.
The Jayhawks trailed by just a few points early in Game One until the Sooners won the first long rally of the night to take a 19-11 lead. After a KU timeout, Noyes sparked the Jayhawk offense with two kills but OU two blocks and an ace pulled the Sooners to a 26-16 lead. Three Jayhawks had three kills but OU outhit KU .324 (16k/5e/34a) to .098 (13k/9e/41a) in the opening stanza.
Despite seven kills from Correa, KU could not overcome a late Sooner surge in Game Two. The Jayhawks trailed by five at their first timeout, but battled back to within one, 20-19, after a Noyes kill. OU went on a quick run late in the second stanza, firing off three unanswered points to take a 27-21 lead. KU improved its hitting efficiency to .173, but OU made just six errors on 52 attempts for a .269 clip in the game.
A ball-handling error by the Sooners tied Game Three at 12-all. The teams exchanged leads until the Jayhawks scored four straight and led 24-20 after an ace by senior Dani Wittman. KU hung on to a slim advantage and Correa recorded her milestone kill at KU’s first game point, 29-26. OU survived the stanza by tying the game at 29-29 and went on to record a block and kill in the final plays to win.
KU returns to the friendly confines of the HorejsiFamilyAthleticsCenter Wednesday night to host SunflowerState rival KansasState (8-9, 0-7 Big 12). First serve is set for 7 p.m.
-KU-
