OU Volleyball Swept By Texas

The University of Oklahoma volleyball team fell in a three-set decision (23-25, 10-25, 8-25) to No. 8 Texas at McCasland Field House Sunday afternoon in front of a crowd of 1,321 spectators.

The Sooners dropped to 16-8 overall and 5-4 in conference play, while the Longhorns improved to 18-3 on the season and stay undefeated in Big 12 action with a 10-0 record.

"We did some really good things this afternoon," remarked Oklahoma head coach Santiago Restrepo. "We stayed aggressive throughout the entire match, we just got discouraged after that first set and our energy level and intensity lowered.

"It's a live-and-learn experience," he continued. "I just told the team that hopefully we learned from this, and hopefully we don't repeat this equation if it presents itself again."

The first set was a show for the fans that packed McCasland Field House, as Oklahoma and Texas battled to the final two points. There were a total of 19 ties, and six lead changes, but despite the Sooners efforts the Longhorns, a perennial powerhouse could not be contained.

"Unfortunately, those two kills that they had at the end of the set came at 24 and 25 mark for the set," explained Restrepo. "Texas just played so much better right there at the end compared to us.

"Right now it's a combination of your team playing perfect volleyball, and Texas having an ‘off match' for you to win against them."

Sophomore outside hitter Tara Dunn led the Sooners front line after she hit down eight of her 21 attempts on the afternoon. Offensively, she was joined by freshman setter Julia Doyle who totaled 29 assists and added one of OU's three service aces.

Senior libero Maria Fernanda led Oklahoma's back court with 10 digs to up her season total to 389.

The Sooners, who are 5-0 on the year after a loss, will seek a win in their next contest on Wednesday night.

"We want to respond with another win, and we have done that before," explained Restrepo on his team's upcoming matches. "I expect them to respond well on Wednesday night, and go out there and try to beat Texas Tech.

"The bottom line is that I told the girls that we have to be better than 5-3 in the bottom half of our conference play," added Restrepo. "If we can be better than 5-3 the duration of the season in the Big 12 we are doing what we're supposed to do."

The Sooners will host their final match of October on Wednesday evening against Texas Tech. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT. The match will air live on FS Oklahoma, made possible through Sooner Sports TV powered by FOX Sports.