Oct. 26, 2007

DALLAS (SMU)--The SMU volleyball team fell to Tulane Friday night, 3-0 (30-23, 30-24, 30-23). Three Mustangs hit .250 or better, but were unable to stop the Green Wave.

The loss drops the Mustangs to 14-11, 4-7 in Conference USA, while Tulane improves to 22-5, 10-2 in C-USA.

Kendra Kahanek led the Ponies with a season-high 10 kills, hitting .250. Kara Cornelius hit a team-high .375, notching four kills on eight swings, while Caitlin Rainbird hit .353 with eight kills on 17 attacks. The Mustangs led in blocks, tallying 12 to the Green Wave's 8.5.

Game one saw the two teams stay close through the first 22 points, but the Green Wave opened up a five-point lead. The Mustangs continued to chip away, getting within two points twice, but Tulane took six of the game's final seven points to put it away.

In the second game, Tulane again built a six-point lead, but the Ponies would not back down, getting within three points three times. Tulane continued to apply pressure and the Mustangs just couldn't hold on. The Wave out-hit SMU, .260-.208 in game two.

Game three saw the teams battle through seven ties as the teams fought for control. Neither Tulane nor SMU could build more than a three-point lead through the game's 40th point, the score knotted at 20. The Wave went on a 7-2 run and opened up a six-point advantage. SMU was unable to bounce back as Tulane then won the final four points of the game.

The Mustangs are back in action Sunday as they host the UTEP Miners at 1pm at Moody Coliseum. For the complete schedule and results, log on to SMUMustangs.com.