Sept. 23, 2007
GREENVILLE, N.C. (SMU)-- Candice Davis had a career-high 35 digs as the SMU volleyball team was edged 3-2 at East Carolina on Sunday. The Mustangs fell 15-12 in game five to go to 10-6 on the season.
Senior co-captain Caitlin Rainbird directed the offense with 19 kills and 21 digs, while rookie Kathryn Wilkerson notched 15 kills and 16 digs. Junior Natalie Peters led the Mustangs' offense with 23 kills, hitting a team-best .372. Peters efforts landed her a new career-high in kills. Sophomore libero Candice Davis also had a strong outing, recording a career-high 35 digs and one service ace. Davis' digs total also set a new school record for digs in a match.
Game one saw 17 ties and eight lead changes as the two teams battled for control. East Carolina got on the board first, but the Mustangs responded immediately with two points of their own. The teams stayed close the entire game, with neither team able to get more than a three-point lead at any time. SMU was up by two, 28-26, when the Pirates won a point off an attack error by Wilkerson, cutting the Mustangs' lead to one. But SMU reeled off two straight points, shutting the Pirates down, and taking the game, 30-27.
The second game started much the same way, with the Pirates striking first. East Carolina built a five-point lead, 6-1, but the Mustangs would not back down. SMU continued to chip away at the Pirates' lead, eventually cutting it to three, forcing East Carolina into a timeout. The Mustangs got to within one point, but the Pirates managed to pull it out, eventually winning the game, 30-26.
In game three, East Carolina again got off to a fast start, scoring four unanswered points. The Mustangs caught up, and overtook the Pirates in the game's 15th point. The Mustangs never relinquished their lead, at one point holding an eight-point advantage. SMU held the edge in kills, 15-13, and in aces, 2-1, and held the Pirates to .064 hitting.
SMU took the first point in game four, but never managed to control the game. East Carolina responded immediately and took the next four points. The Mustangs got within three points, but the Pirates dominated the fourth game. A combination of too many errors and not enough blocks proved to be the Mustangs' undoing. East Carolina out-hit the Mustangs, .263 to .022, and held the advantage in blocks (5-1), and aces (3-0). The Pirates took the game, 18-30, forcing a fifth.
East Carolina took the first two points of the abbreviated fifth game, but the Mustangs struck back, winning the next four straight points and taking the lead 4-2. The Pirates then tied the game at four, but SMU kept applying the pressure and regained the lead. The Mustangs maintained their lead until the game's 21st point, when East Carolina managed to overtake the Mustangs, 10-11. The Pirates took the next point, forcing SMU into a timeout. After the timeout, East Carolina won the next two points and the Mustangs called their second timeout with the score 10-14. SMU won the next two points, driving the score to 12-14. But the Pirates scored the game point off a block by Peyton Thompson, putting the game out of reach, 12-15.
The Mustangs continue conference play Friday at UTEP at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday at Tulane at 1:00 p.m. They return home Friday, Oct. 5 to face Rice at 7:00 p.m. at Moody Coliseum. For live stats, the complete schedule and results, log on to SMUMustangs.com.
