No. 10 Kansas Faces Road Test at Oklahoma on Saturday

Notes Link Kansas Notes

No. 10 Kansas volleyball (21-1, 9-1 Big 12) hits the road for a rematch against Oklahoma on Saturday afternoon in Norman. The Jayhawks, entering the weekend ranked in the top-10 for the fifth consecutive week, have won the last two meetings against the Sooners (8-13, 2-7) and will need another win to remain in a tie for first-place in the Big 12 standings with No. 5 Texas (20-2, 10-1). The match can be followed on the Jayhawk Radio Network through KUAthletics.com/radio or on the radio at KWOD-AM 1660 in Lawrence.

QUICK HITS
• KANSAS-OU SERIES: Junior libero Cassie Wait recorded 23 digs in just three sets as Kansas won the first meeting of the season against OU in straight sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-18) on Oct. 21 in Lawrence. Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Kansas, 47-34. The Jayhawks are on a two-match winning streak against the Sooners, but have not won in Norman since 2012.
• TOP 10: Kansas remains at No. 10 in this week’s AVCA Coaches Poll. The Jayhawks have been ranked in the top-25 for a program-record nine consecutive weeks, including five consecutive weeks in the top-10. KU’s highest ranking of the season to date was No. 7 Oct. 19.
• 20-WIN SEASON: With a four-set win at Iowa State on Oct. 28, KU reached 20 wins for the fourth consecutive season and 15th time overall. The 2015 Jayhawks are the fastest team in program history to reach 20 wins in a season (21 matches), edging 1991’s squad which reached 20 wins in 23 matches.
• 100% SIDE-OUT: KU posted a perfect 15 of 15 side-out rate in the first set against Baylor last Saturday – not allowing the Bears to score consecutive points. It is the second 100-percent side-out clip in a set during head coach Ray Bechard’s 18-year tenure at Kansas. The first came earlier this month with a 14 of 14 side-out rate at Texas Tech (Oct. 7).
• PAYNE’s ELITE STATUS: Sophomore right-side hitter Kelsie Payne was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Monday after leading the league in kills last week, including a career-high 26 kills at Iowa State (10/28). Payne is the only student-athlete at the NCAA Division I level to rank top-50 in both hitting percentage (.400; 24th) and kills per set (4.1; 41st). In the Big 12, Payne ranks second in both hitting percentage and kills per set.
• BIG 12 TITLE RACE: No. 10Kansas and No. 5 Texas are tied atop the Big 12 Conference standings with 9-1 records during league play, respectively. The Jayhawks and Longhorns meet again on Nov. 11 in Lawrence. 
• BIG 12 LEADERS: KU leads the Big 12 Conference in in kills per set, hitting percentage, assists per set, and hitting percentage defense. Sophomore setter Ainise Havili leads the Big 12 in assists per set (12.1). Three Jayhawks are listed on the Big 12 kills per set and hitting percentage top-10 lists, respectively.
• WAIT MOVING UP: Junior libero Cassie Wait is steadily climbing KU’s career digs list. With 15 digs on Saturday against Baylor, Wait reached 1,130 career digs to remain in seventh place on KU’s career digs list. The Gardner, Kansas, native ranks third in the Big 12 in digs per set (4.7) and anchors a KU defense that is holding opponents to a Big 12-best .160 hitting percentage.
• NEXT UP: Kansas will play host to No. 5 Texas on Wednesday in Lawrence (6:30 p.m. CT, Time Warner Cable SportsChannel/ESPN3). It will be a rematch of KU’s lone loss of the season, a straight-set decision in the Longhorns favor on Oct. 23 in Austin.