Sept. 16, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (SMU) -
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The Mustangs edged Chattanooga this morning 3-0 (30-21, 30-21, 30-26) in the first game for the morning of the Indiana Credit Union Invitational. SMU is now 9-4 on the season. This was the first meeting ever between the two teams.
The Mustangs were led by Rachel Giubilato as she posted her sixth double-double this season with 19 kills and 15 digs. Caitlin Rainbird posted 17 kills with nine digs while Kendra Kahanek posted her second consecutive match in double digit kills with 10. She also had four blocks.
After getting off to a rocky start in game one, the Mustangs rallied past Chattanooga. SMU took the early lead, but Chattanooga rallied to tie the game at seven. After one more tie, Chattanooga led till the Mustangs put down two blocks and then had double kills by Rainbird to take the brief lead. Chattanooga tied the points one more time but Kahanek nailed a kill to start the Mustang rally. SMU maintained the lead winning in game one, 30-21. Rainbird posted 11 kills in game one along with four digs. The Mustangs combined for three blocks and .366 attack percentage.
In game two, the teams battled through the first dozen points. The Mustangs went ahead at the start with a four point lead before the squads tied at four. After a few hesitations, SMU pulled away, the longest rally being four unanswered points posted by the Mustangs. Late in the game, Chattanooga had a short rally complimented by a couple of Mustang errors, but SMU sustained the lead and elevated over Chattanooga for the 30-21 win. Kahanek and Giubilato both posted six kills. The squad posted a .341 attack percentage.
Chattanooga came out with a spark in game three taking the early 6-1 lead but the Mustangs continued to battle. There were three lead changes and 14 ties overall as the Mustangs pushed forward. The last lead the Chattanooga had was at the 15-14 mark. Giubilato led with 11 kills in the final game. SMU had an attack percentage of .220 in game three with four blocks.
The Mustangs will take on the host squad, Indiana tonight in the final match of the tournament. The match is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m.
