Oklahoma VB Team travels to Kansas for Sat Match- OU upsets KU!
Posted: Sat Oct 14, 2023 7:11 am
The Oklahoma Sooner Women's Volleyball team has played a tough Big 12 Schedule so far. The Sooners have played the top 4 of 5 team in their first 6 matches. The record of those four Big 12 teams in the conference is 20-4 in sets played. I think that today is the day that the Sooners pickup their first conference win on 2023 and start the process of preparing for the 2024 season with their late season progression. Here is why.
The Jayhawks are 3-3 in the Big 12 conference play and 12-4 overall. While Kansas was ranked earlier this week in the AVCA rankings as the 16th best team in the country,, I just do not see it. They have not played many good teams and two of their 4 losses have been to Purdue and Texas Tech. The other two were to Texas by the sets scores of 1-3 and 0-3. The record of their three teams they have played in the Big 12 is 9-8 and only 3-8 if Texas is removed from the formula. Kansas also is not that long of a team at the net. I think Oklahoma may actually have the size advantage today against Kansas. That is never a bad thing. Some points are just won at the net by size alone.
If you look at the stats, the two teams, OU and Kansas are very close. Here are some stats.
OU - 13.39 Kills / Set = Kansas - 13.84
OU - Kill Errors per Set - 5.48 = Kansas - 4.69
OU - Kills For vs Kills Against - 1.87 = Kansas - 1.87
OU - Blocks per Set - 2.28 = Kansas - 2.18
OU - Block Errors / Set - 0.57 = Kansas - 0.29
OU - Points at the Net / Set - 15.67 = Kansas - 16.02
OU - Errors at the Net / Set - 6.05 = Kansas - 4.98
OU - Service Aces / Set - 1.52 = Kansas - 1.16
OU - Service Errors / Set - 3.39 = Kansas - 3.00
OU - Digs / Set - 11.48 = Kansas - 16.19
OU - Receive Errors / Set - 1.80 = Kansas - 0.81
The offensive numbers with Kills, Aces and Blocks are virtually even. OU - 17.19 = Kansas - 17.18
But the Error numbers do favor Kansas. Total Errors per set, OU - 11.24 = Kansas - 8.79
What I believe will occur today is that the Sooners will be able to receive the Kansas serves with more efficiency today and will be 'in system' more which will produce better sets by Chamberlain after the first touch and that the Sooners have more strong Kill attempts and less errors on the attack at the net.
At the same time, I think (really it is a hope) that the Sooners will serve better in the clutch (beyond 18 points in the match) and make Kansas play the ball when receiving serve. With OU advantage in size, I think the Sooners will pick up additional blocks for extra points.
I also think that the Sooners with better options at the net from receiving serve or the ball on points, will reduce their errors and hit the ball into the floor more reducing the digs by Kansas.
I simply think the Sooners are due for a win in the Big 12 after the very tough 5 set loss to TCU on Wednesday. I expect Shelton, Preston and Burts to have big days with 55 points earned for them perhaps. Pfiffner and Carrington and maybe Ellison will add another 15 points also. I think the Sooners will serve better today as their work on upgrading their service game will pay off.
I think the Sooner can afford to have a 'big' (Shelton/Preston/Burts/Pfiffner/Ellison) on the back row today when Chamberlain is on the front line for those 3 rotations, that the 'big' can be used on back-row sets to add offensive variety for the Sooners. If the Sooners can keep Kemohah and one of Blagojevich/McNees/Thompson/Kaminski on the back row with one big on those 3 rotations, the Sooners can utilize that back-row set effectively and still receive the ball well.
Watch the service game today, and the first touch on defense for the Sooners. If the Sooners play well in those to phases of the game, the Sooners can return to Norman with their first Big 12 win of the year and of Coach Mansfield's staff at OU. Good luck to the Sooners today.
Boomer Sooner!
The Jayhawks are 3-3 in the Big 12 conference play and 12-4 overall. While Kansas was ranked earlier this week in the AVCA rankings as the 16th best team in the country,, I just do not see it. They have not played many good teams and two of their 4 losses have been to Purdue and Texas Tech. The other two were to Texas by the sets scores of 1-3 and 0-3. The record of their three teams they have played in the Big 12 is 9-8 and only 3-8 if Texas is removed from the formula. Kansas also is not that long of a team at the net. I think Oklahoma may actually have the size advantage today against Kansas. That is never a bad thing. Some points are just won at the net by size alone.
If you look at the stats, the two teams, OU and Kansas are very close. Here are some stats.
OU - 13.39 Kills / Set = Kansas - 13.84
OU - Kill Errors per Set - 5.48 = Kansas - 4.69
OU - Kills For vs Kills Against - 1.87 = Kansas - 1.87
OU - Blocks per Set - 2.28 = Kansas - 2.18
OU - Block Errors / Set - 0.57 = Kansas - 0.29
OU - Points at the Net / Set - 15.67 = Kansas - 16.02
OU - Errors at the Net / Set - 6.05 = Kansas - 4.98
OU - Service Aces / Set - 1.52 = Kansas - 1.16
OU - Service Errors / Set - 3.39 = Kansas - 3.00
OU - Digs / Set - 11.48 = Kansas - 16.19
OU - Receive Errors / Set - 1.80 = Kansas - 0.81
The offensive numbers with Kills, Aces and Blocks are virtually even. OU - 17.19 = Kansas - 17.18
But the Error numbers do favor Kansas. Total Errors per set, OU - 11.24 = Kansas - 8.79
What I believe will occur today is that the Sooners will be able to receive the Kansas serves with more efficiency today and will be 'in system' more which will produce better sets by Chamberlain after the first touch and that the Sooners have more strong Kill attempts and less errors on the attack at the net.
At the same time, I think (really it is a hope) that the Sooners will serve better in the clutch (beyond 18 points in the match) and make Kansas play the ball when receiving serve. With OU advantage in size, I think the Sooners will pick up additional blocks for extra points.
I also think that the Sooners with better options at the net from receiving serve or the ball on points, will reduce their errors and hit the ball into the floor more reducing the digs by Kansas.
I simply think the Sooners are due for a win in the Big 12 after the very tough 5 set loss to TCU on Wednesday. I expect Shelton, Preston and Burts to have big days with 55 points earned for them perhaps. Pfiffner and Carrington and maybe Ellison will add another 15 points also. I think the Sooners will serve better today as their work on upgrading their service game will pay off.
I think the Sooner can afford to have a 'big' (Shelton/Preston/Burts/Pfiffner/Ellison) on the back row today when Chamberlain is on the front line for those 3 rotations, that the 'big' can be used on back-row sets to add offensive variety for the Sooners. If the Sooners can keep Kemohah and one of Blagojevich/McNees/Thompson/Kaminski on the back row with one big on those 3 rotations, the Sooners can utilize that back-row set effectively and still receive the ball well.
Watch the service game today, and the first touch on defense for the Sooners. If the Sooners play well in those to phases of the game, the Sooners can return to Norman with their first Big 12 win of the year and of Coach Mansfield's staff at OU. Good luck to the Sooners today.
Boomer Sooner!