Oct. 19, 2011
Game Notes 
Sidney Stewart, who became the first Mustang and fourth player in Conference USA history to record 2,000 digs in a career with 27 at UAB for 2,008 in her career, will lead the Mustangs into a pair of matches this weekend. SMU will wrap up the first half of the C-USA schedule against East Carolina Friday night in Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m., and will face Marshall in Huntington, W.Va., on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
Stewart anchors a defense ranked second in the league and 34th in the NCAA with 17.01 digs per set. Jessica Oliver leads the SMU offense, averaging 3.05 kills per set, while Dana Powell adds 2.89 per set. Courtney Manning is a threat on both sides of the net, averaging 2.17 kills and a league-high 1.32 blocks per set.
East Carolina enters the matchup 2-16 overall and 0-9 in C-USA. The Pirates have won just two sets against conference opponents, getting swept in eight of their last nine matches overall. Brittany Roper leads the team with 2.26 kills per set, but ECU averages just 8.87 kills per set while allowing 14.15 per set to opponents.
Marshall enters the weekend 4-15, 3-6 in C-USA matches, and has lost eight of its last 10 overall. Cameron Yoho leads the team with 2.98 kills per set, and Abby Thomas scores 2.90 per set. Both players are in the top-20 in the conference in kills, and Desirre Wilkerson is eight in the league with 1.02 blocks per set.
IN THE PAST
The Mustangs are 4-4 overall against East Carolina and 4-3 all-time against Marshall. SMU faced each team for the first time in 2005, winning 3-2 at ECU and falling 3-0 at Marshall. SMU has won the last three contests against the Pirates in straight sets, including two victories last season. The Mustangs won the last four matches against Marshall, and are 2-1 on the road against the Thundering Herd.
STEWART IS FIRST MUSTANG TO 2000 DIGS
Sidney Stewart became the first Mustang and fourth player in Conference USA history to record 2,000 digs in her career. With 27 at UAB, Stewart pushed her career total to 2,008 and needs 67 to climb to third all-time in C-USA. Stewart set the school record as a junior, finishing her third season with 1,593 digs. This season, she leads C-USA and is 38th in the NCAA with 5.06 digs per set. Stewart also set the SMU record for digs in a match with 42 against Alabama, one shy of the C-USA mark.
GETTING DEFENSIVE
In 2011, SMU has established itself as one of the top defensive teams in the league once again. The Mustangs are second in the conference and 32nd in the NCAA with 2.55 blocks per set and second in the league and 34th in the country with 17.01 digs per set. Courtney Manning leads the league in blocks and is 22nd in the NCAA with 1.32 per set, and Sidney Stewart leads the conference in digs and is 38th in the country with 5.06 per set.
TWICE AS NICE
Dana Powell became the first SMU volleyball player to receive All-America honors, being named honorable mention in 2009 after her sophomore season. Last year, Powell was again named Honorable Mention All-America after leading the team in digs for the second straight season with 416. She also had 445 digs and 75 blocks.
DOUBLE DOWN
Five Mustangs have combined for 28 double-doubles this season. Seniors Dana Powell and Kelli Becerra lead the team with 12 each, and Powell had a string of six-straight starting Sept. 25 at UTEP until Oct. 9 against Tulane. Freshman Savannah Myklebust has a pair of double-doubles and Courtney Manning and Jessica Oliver each have one.
BECERRA REACHES 1000, ENTERS TOP-10
Kelli Becerra became the first setter in SMU history since Leslie Olsen in 1999 to achieve at least 1,000 assists and 1,000 digs. She has 1,130 career digs, ranking 10th all-time at SMU. Olson holds the digs record among setters with 1,169. Becerra is second all-time at SMU with 3,919 assists, one of just five Mustangs to have at least 3,000 assists. She needs 81 more to become the second player in SMU history and 17th player in Conference USA history with at least 4,000 assists.
SOLID SENIORS
The Mustangs have four seniors leading the charge in 2011. Dana Powell, Jessica Oliver, Sidney Stewart and Kelli Becerra have combined to go 58-35 over the past three seasons. Each of the four seniors has already written their name in the SMU record book. Stewart owns the career digs record (2,008), Powell is fifth in kills (1,401) and third in digs (1,478), Becerra is second in assists (3,919) and Oliver is sixth in blocks (385). The 2010 senior class won 74 matches, more than any other graduating class in program history.
TAKING OUT THE TOP
The Mustangs have beaten each of the top three teams in Conference USA up to this point, including road matches at Tulsa and UAB. SMU snapped Tulsa's 26-match conference winning streak, one that dated back to 2009, with a 3-1 victory. Tulsa is at the top of the C-USA standings with an 8-1 league mark. SMU also handed UAB and Houston each team's second league loss of the year. The two schools are tied for second at 7-2.
MANNING, OLIVER CLIMB BLOCKS LIST
As a sophomore, Courtney Manning broke the SMU single-season blocks record with 162 total blocks. The previous record was set in 2005 when Natalie Peters had 151 total blocks. This season, Manning has 108 blocks, pushing her career total to 398 blocks, ranking fourth in school history. Jessica Oliver is sixth with 385, needing eight to tie for fifth. The career record at SMU is 530 blocks, set by Kendra Kahanek from 2006-09. In Conference USA history, 21 players have achieved at least 400 blocks.
POWELL CLIMBS CAREER CHARTS
Dana Powell's 18 kills and 27 digs in the match over Marshall last season moved her into the 1,000/1,000 career kills and digs club, which only six previous athletes in SMU history have attained. She is currently third all-time with 1,478 career digs and fifth all-time with 1,401 kills.
