9/22/03

Longhorns Preveiw: Oklahoma

Complete Preview

Match 11: Texas (5-5, 1-1) vs. Oklahoma (8-5, 0-1)
When: Wednesday, Sept. 24 - 7 p.m.
Where: McCasland Fieldhouse (2,000) - Norman, Okla. 
Series vs. Nebraska: Texas leads the all-time series with Oklahoma, 23-0, including a 8-0 mark on the road
Last Meetings: Texas defeated OU, 3-0 (30-21, 30-22, 30-20), in Norman, Okla. on Nov. 13, 2002
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LONGHORN QUICK HITS
» With its game at Oklahoma, Texas hits the road for the first time in eight matches.  After opening the season on the road at the Mizuno Invitational, the Longhorns hosted eight-straight matches at home.  UT was 5-3 during that stretch, with its three losses coming at the hands of ranked teams.
» Texas is 0-4 against ranked teams so far this year, falling to No. 16 Long Beach State (3-1, Aug. 30), No. 21 Notre Dame (3-0, Sept. 6), No. 9 UCLA (3-0, Sept. 11), and No. 8 Nebraska (3-0, Sept. 20).
» Last Wednesday's (Sept. 17)  Iowa State match marked the first time this season Texas had its entire lineup available for action.  Until that point, the Longhorns had been using an eight-player rotation.  Freshmen Jenny Andrew and Brandy Magee have started all 10 matches.
» The first game of a match is do or die for the Longhorns this season: the team is 5-0 when winning game one and 0-5 when losing game one.

THE LONGHORNS IN BRIEF
Texas enters Wednesday night's (Sept. 24) match with a 5-5 record overall (1-1 in Big 12 play).  Saturday night (Sept. 20), the Longhorns fell to No. 8 Nebraska in a conference tilt at UT's Gregory Gym.  Four of the team's five losses have come to ranked teams (No. 16 Long Beach State, 3-1; No. 21 Notre Dame, 3-0; No. 9 UCLA, 3-0; and No. 8 Nebraska, 3-0). Junior All-American Mira Topic (Kastela Kambelovac, Croatia/Vladimir Nazor) leads the Longhorns in kills this season with 157 (4.62/game) and service aces (16).  Freshman middle blocker Brandy Magee (Mission Viejo, Calif./Capistrano Valley) tops the team in both hitting percentage (.337) and blocks (3739).  Freshman setter Jenny Andrew (Houston, Texas/Kingwood) is the team's only setter and has 403 assists, while sophomore defensive specialist Erin Larson (San Antonio, Texas/Ronald Reagan) has 104 digs to lead the team.

OKLAHOMA IN BRIEF
The Sooners open their 2003 home schedule with Wednesday night's match against the Longhorns.  After playing their first 13 matches on the road, OU had an 8-5 record overall and a 0-1 mark in Big 12 Conference play.  Oklahoma dropped its first three matches of the season before rebounding with six-straight wins; the team has gone 2-2 in its last four matches.  In their last action, the Sooners fell, 3-0, to Missouri on Saturday, Sept. 20.  Oklahoma was chosen 10th in the Preseason Big 12 Coaches Poll.  Freshman outside hitter Joanna Schmitt leads head coach Kalani Mahi's squad in kills with 202 (4.21/game).  Freshman middle Laura Tones leads OU's regular attackers with a .317 attack percentage, while freshman setter Rachel Jackson has 317 assists.  Defensively, sophomore middle Jennifer Adams has 67 blocks to place the team, and Schmitt has 134 digs.      

AGAINST THE SOONERS
Texas has never lost to Oklahoma, as the Horns lead the all-time series 23-0.  The teams first met on Oct. 25, 1975.  Only eight matches have gone more then three games.  The Longhorns have an 8-0 record on the road against Oklahoma, and a 12-0 record at home.  The teams have met three times on neutral courts.  Third-year head coach Jerritt Elliott is 4-0 against Oklahoma.

LAST MEETING WITH OKLAHOMA
Texas defeated Oklahoma, 3-0 (30-21, 30-22, 30-22), on Nov. 13 in Norman, Okla. at the McCasland Fieldhouse.  The Longhorns limited OU to a .059 hitting percentage, drawing the Sooners into 28 hitting errors to 35 kills.  UT dominated the net, out-blocking Oklahoma 12.0-1.0.  Texas' Mira Topic had a game-high 12 kills, while Kathy Hahn added 10.  Bethany Howden had four aces, while Stacy Millichap had 15 digs.  

LAST TIME OUT
Texas suffered its first Big 12 loss of the season Saturday when No. 8 Nebraska defeated UT, 3-0 (30-20, 30-19, 30-19), in Gregory Gym.  The Longhorns suffered from poor passing, which hindered their ability to muster a potent attack for extended stretches.  UT had a .099 attack percentage, while Nebraska countered with a .245.  The Longhorns led early in both games one and three, but NU mounted long rallies to come back and take the lead in both games.  Nebraska benefited from 16 service aces while  the Longhorns had none.  Bethany Howden led Texas with 12 kills, while Mira Topic added 15 digs.  Dariam Acevedo left the match in the second game with a left knee injury and did not return.  Her condition is being evaluated.

HITTING THE ROAD
The Longhorns will venture outside the confines of Gregory Gym for the first time in eight matches when they travel to Norman, Okla. for the match against the Sooners.  After opening the season in Long Beach, Calif. at the Mizuno Invitational, UT hosted a non-conference match against Texas State (Sept. 2) before hosting back-to-back tournaments (The Longhorn Classic and the Time Warner Cable Texas Invitational).  Texas followed with Big 12 Conference match-ups against Iowa State and No. 8 Nebraska to close the home stand.  The Longhorns won't be gone long, however, as they return for two matches - vs. Houston (Sept. 26) and Texas A&M (Oct. 1) - before packing their bags again.  

UP NEXT
Texas returns home on Friday, Sept. 26 for a 5:30 p.m. non-conference match against Houston in Gregory Gym.  Game promotions include "Pet Picture Night", where fans showing a picture of their pet will receive $2.00 off a general admission ticket, and "Youth Night", where youths in eighth grade or under will receive $2.00 off a general admission ticket.