Volleyball Hosts UAB And Memphis In Crucial C-USA Matches
Oct 14 | Volleyball
Oct. 14, 2009
At the end of the weekend, half of the conference season will be in the books with eight conference games remaining for the Mustangs. SMU is currently seventh in the league with a 3-3 record, 13-7 overall. Only five game separate first place Southern Miss (6-1) and 12th place East Carolina (1-6).
UAB rolls into Dallas in a three-way tie for fourth with a 4-2 record, 11-10 overall. The Blazers are either one spot above or one spot behind the Mustangs in hitting percentage, kills, assists and blocks. UAB is seventh in the league in hitting percentage, .204, leading the Mustangs by one point. Patty Paniagua leads the Blazers with a .256 hitting percentage. The Blazers are also seventh in kills, trailing SMU by less than half a kill per set. Andrea Lalic leads UAB with 3.08 kills per set, while Sam Serley adds 2.89 per set.
The Mustangs are led by senior middle blocker Kendra Kahanek, who earned her first C-USA Player of the Week award after a 10-block, nine-kill performance in the Mustangs' sweep over Houston. Kahanek is second in the league with 1.14 blocks per set. Dana Powell leads the team in kills, ranking fifth in the conference with 3.90 per set. As a team, SMU ranks second in the conference with 2.36 blocks per set and third in digs with 15.81 per set. The Mustangs are sixth in both assists and kills, averaging 11.56 assists per set and 12.70 kills per set.
After taking on UAB Friday night at 7 p.m., the Mustangs will face Memphis Saturday night at 7 p.m. The Tigers enter the match with a 5-17 record after a 3-2 win over Tennessee-Martin. The Tigers lone conference win came Oct. 9 when they swept East Carolina.
SMU will also be promoting its Dig Pink match this weekend. The event, designed to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research, is scheduled for Oct. 24 against Houston. SMU will wear pink jerseys that will be auctioned off. The silent auction will also include several autographed items from SMU coaches and teams.
For more information on Dig Pink and SMU's efforts to support the fight against Breast Cancer, click here.
