OKLAHOMA CITY – After a five-match road set, Oklahoma City comes home to start the most difficult part of the conference schedule, starting with this weekend's home set.
 
The Stars entertain Wayland Baptist in the Pink Out match Friday at 6 pm. and battle Oklahoma Panhandle State at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
 
OCU Notebook
Pink Out: Friday's match with Wayland Baptist is OCU's annual Pink Out Match, raising awareness of breast cancer and cancer research.
 
Setter of the Week: OCU's Natalie Adams received Sooner Athletic Conference Setter of the Week honors on Monday. Adams, who leads the SAC in assists, averaged 12.7 on the week and also had six kills and three blocks in three OCU victories (all on the road). OCU has won SAC weekly honors twice this season, with Adams getting the setter award on Sept. 15 as well.
 
Momentum: Oklahoma City's three-match win streak and seven wins in the last nine matches have the Stars at .500 on the season overall and in the Sooner Athletic Conference. OCU starts the week alone in sixth place in the league.
 
Last Match: Oklahoma City put together its third consecutive Sooner Athletic Conference volleyball victory with a sweep at Southwestern Christian on Saturday, 25-12, 25-16, 26-24. The victory got the Stars to .500 on the season and in the SAC for the first time this season. OCU never trailed at any point in the match. Grace Smallwood led the Stars with 13 kills and Maddie Edwards added 10. Natalie Adams had 34 assists and logged six aces. Defensively, Kate Cleofe had 15 digs, followed by Kaylie Marshall with 14, Smallwood with 13 and Ryan Leland with 11. Erin Mack got in on four blocks and Marina Kalajdzic and Edwards added three apiece.
 
Home Stats: OCU is 3-2 at home this season and holds opponents to a .114 attack percentage. Grace Smallwood averages 3.59 kills per set and the Stars average 2.65 aces per set.
 
Trending: In the last three matches, Grace Smallwood is averaging 3.8 kills and Erin Mack is at 3.0 with a .282 team attack percentage. Natalie Adams is averaging 12.7 assists and 1.2 aces per set.
 
Swing Away: Grace Smallwood leads the Stars with 3.59 kills per set. She ranks second in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
 
Ready Set Go: Natalie Adams' 12-assist per set surge last week put her at a SAC-high 798 for the season and 10.23 per set. She is 10^th nationally in assists per set.
 
Giddy Digs: The Stars have a trio of players averaging better than three digs per set, led by Grace Smallwood at 3.63. Kaylie Marshall is at 3.37 and Kate Cleofe averages 3.16. Smallwood is ninth in the SAC.
 
Blockage: Marina Kalajdzic and Maddie Edwards share the team lead with 51 blocks each this season. They average 1.4 blocks per set together.
 
Aces High: The Stars have been on the rise in service aces and now average 1.8 per set. Natalie Adams leads the team with 40, which is third in the SAC.
 
Winning Numbers: In OCU's 10 wins this season, the Stars have a .231 attack percentage and hold opponents to .115. Natalie Adams averaged 10.88 assists per set in OCU victories and Marina Kalajdzic and Maddie Edwards combined for 1.4 blocks per set.
 
History with WBU: The Stars scored 66 points in a three-set loss at Wayland Baptist earlier this season. The Pioneers have won the last two matches. OCU won its home match with WBU last season.
 
Scouting WBU: The Pioneers swept John Brown and College of the Ozarks last weekend to move to 10-8 overall and 9-5 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Deniz Yileri leads Wayland Baptist with 3.04 kills per set. Martyna Lewinska is second only to OCU's Natalie Adams in the SAC assists category, averaging 10.21.
 
History with OPSU: Panhandle ended a four-match OCU winning streak in the rivalry last month with a 3-1 win in Goodwell despite 22 kills by Grace Smallwood. OCU leads the all-time series, 16-3.
 
Scouting OPSU: The Aggies scored 3-1 wins over Ozarks and John Brown last weekend to move to 11-10 overall and 9-5 against the SAC. Elena Kagiali is the SAC kills leader at 3.54 per set. Winnifer Rodriguez averages 4.59 digs per set. Kagiali and Rodriguez are this week's SAC Attacker and Defender of the Week.