Since the OU volleyball team’s home conference opener against Missouri on Sept. 17, both the Sooners and the Tigers have traveled similar paths.

Both squads hold upset victories over a historically potent Big 12 opponent, both have made adjustments to their in-game rotation and both are neck-in-neck in numerous statistical categories.

The Sooners (10-13, 6-9 Big 12) hold a stronger conference record, while the Tigers (11-12, 5-8 Big 12) hold a better overall record, albeit not by much for either team.

In their previous meeting in September, OU bested Missouri in four sets and will aim to sweep the season series against the Tigers on Sunday at 1 p.m. from the Hearnes Center in Columbia, Mo.

With only five matches remaining for the 2008 season and all Big 12 ranked opposition on the backburner, a strong showing down the home stretch can nudge the Sooners above the .500 mark to close out the season.

After Missouri, the Sooners will have the luxury of a three-match homestand. With the end of season drawing near, head coach Santiago Restrepo said they cannot afford to let Sunday’s match slip away.

“This match is very crucial,” Restrepo said. “It’s always very tough to place over there … They have some very scrappy players, they play great defense and dig a lot of balls, so we need to match their intensity and their effort.”

The Sooners haven’t fared particularly well when traveling to Columbia, Mo., as of late, winning only one of their past 10 road outings against Missouri.

Since losing to the Sooners in Norman back in September, Missouri has spent the majority of its conference schedule, trading one win for a pair losses, notching victories over the likes of Kansas, Colorado, Texas Tech and Iowa State.

Even in defeat to OU, the Tigers received a strong showing from outsider hitter Julianna Klein, who posted a match-high 16 kills. Containing the redshirt sophomore will be pivotal if OU intends on making a push towards the postseason.

“We definitely can’t take them lightly,” freshman outside hitter Caitlin Higgins said. “We need to win the rest of our conference matches in order to have a chance of making it to the postseason. Focus and urgency will be key for us.”

Higgins, who became the first freshman in program history to be named the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week last Monday, was the recipient of another prominent collegiate honor on Tuesday.

Higgins became the first player in OU volleyball history to be named the Sports Imports/American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I National Player of the Week for her efforts against No. 4 Texas and Baylor last week.

“I am truly honored to even be considered for this award,” Higgins said. “It is a huge deal for me and for our program. I have to give credit to my team because this is a team sport and the success of one player comes from the success of the team.”

Senior libero Lacy Barnes also earned a highly-touted honor for the Sooners on Thursday, being named to the College Sports Information Directors of America/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District first team.

Sophomore middle blocker Francie Ekwerekwu received similar honors, earning a spot on the CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District third team.

OU will be looking to rebound from a Wednesday evening road loss to No. 15 Kansas State (20-25, 25-16, 23-25, 20-25).

Despite dropping the first and third sets, the Sooners managed commendable leads half-way through each set.

Still, the tale of Wednesday’s match was attack errors and not so much how many were committed, but when they were committed, which ultimately spelled defeat for the Sooners.

“We were coming off two big wins and I think we were just expecting another one,” Higgins said. “We did some good things and got big leads but mental errors just crept in and killed us. You have to capitalize on leads with every team in the Big 12 and we failed to do that.”

While OU managed only one attack error at the 18-point mark of the first set, a series of miscues and mistimed attack attempts – coupled with a strong Wildcat blocking front – amounted to five attack errors to close out the set.

On the evening, OU managed to narrowly out-hit the No. 15 Wildcats .167 to .166, but were barely out-blocked 15 to 14.

Junior outside hitter Bridget Laplante led the offensive charge for the Sooners with 14 kills and a .297 hitting clip. Freshman outside hitter Brianne Barker added 40 assists and 24 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Chrissy Disarro totaled 10 blocks.