Mustangs Face UAB Friday, Memphis Sunday In Moody Coliseum
Oct 26 | Volleyball
Oct. 26, 2011
The Mustangs return for a pair of matches in Moody Coliseum against UAB and Memphis before embarking on a four-match road trip. SMU will face UAB Friday at 7 p.m., and take on Memphis Sunday at 1 p.m. The Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will sponsor a tailgate before the Memphis match at 12:30 as part of its Pack the House campaign.
SMU swept the Blazers on the road on Oct. 16 in the first meeting of the season, but fell in five sets at Memphis on Oct. 14. Caroline Young had 10 kills at Memphis, sparking a string of four straight matches in which she led the Mustangs in kills. She followed with 11 kills in the sweep at UAB. Sidney Stewart had 27 digs at UAB, while Kelli Becerra had 25 assists and 13 digs for SMU's only double-double of the match.
The loss was the second of three straight for the Blazers, who snapped the skid in their last match against Rice. Kate Morrell averages a team-high 2.66 kills per set, and Sam Serley adds 2.57 per set. Heather Thomas is third in C-USA with 5.02 digs per set. The Blazers are the only team in the conference with more blocks than the Mustangs, averaging 2.80 per set with 244 total blocks to SMU's 2.57 average with 231 blocks.
The Tigers have lost five of their last six matches entering the weekend. Altrese Hawkins leads the team and is third in the conference with 4.21 kills per set. Memphis averages just 1.53 digs per set as a team, led by Katie Meyer's 0.77 per set, and had just four against SMU while the Mustangs had 14.0 blocks. Hajnalka Molnar is second in the conference with 11.74 assists per set.
IN THE PAST
SMU is 7-2 all-time against the Blazers, winning the last four matches 3-0. The Mustangs are 4-4 against Memphis, winning three of the last four matches, taking two in straight sets. The first meeting between SMU and both Memphis and UAB took place in 2005, with SMU sweeping Memphis and taking a pair from UAB, eliminating the Blazers from the C-USA Tournament.
POWELL CHASES ANOTHER MILESTONE
Dana Powell needs just 82 kills to become the first player at SMU to have 1,500 kills and 1,500 digs in a career. The senior has 1,505 digs (3rd at SMU) and 1,418 kills (5th at SMU), and is one of just six players in school history with at least 1,000 in each category. Erin Pryor is the only Mustangs with more than 1,500 kills, setting the school record with 1,789 in 1999. Only three players have more than 1,500 digs in a career.
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 on Oct. 16, Stewart pushed her career total to 2,008. The senior currently has 2,046 and needs 29 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 is second in C-USA and 41st in the NCAA with 5.03 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 31st in the NCAA with 2.57 blocks per set and second in the league and 33rd in the country with 17.13 digs per set. Courtney Manning leads C-USA in blocks and is 21st in the NCAA with 1.33 per set, and Sidney Stewart is second in the conference in digs and is 41st in the country with 5.03 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
Six Mustangs have combined for 33 double-doubles this season. Seniors Dana Powell and Kelli Becerra lead the team with 13 each, and Powell had a string of six-straight starting Sept. 25 at UTEP until Oct. 9 against Tulane. Freshman Savannah Myklebust has three double-doubles, and Kendrick Koch recorded the first two of her career against ECU and Marshall. Courtney Manning and Jessica Oliver each have one.
BECERRA REACHES 1000, ENTERS TOP-10
Kelli Becerra became the second setter in SMU history to achieve at least 3,000 assists and 1,000 digs. She has 1,147 career digs, ranking ninth all-time at SMU, and with 23 more digs she would pass Leslie Olson for most digs by a setter. The senior is second all-time at SMU with 3,965 assists, one of just five Mustangs to have at least 3,000 assists. She needs 35 more to become the second player in SMU history and 17th player in Conference USA history with at least 4,000 assists.
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 120 blocks, pushing her career total to 410 blocks, ranking fourth in school history. Jessica Oliver is sixth with 390, needing three 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.
