Mustangs Open Four-Match Road Trip At Southern Miss Friday
Nov 2 | Volleyball
Nov. 2, 2011
The Mustangs open a four-match road trip with a pair of matches in Hattiesburg, Miss., against Southern Miss Friday and Saturday. Kelli Becerra leads SMU into the weekend needing two digs to pass Leslie Olson for most digs by a setter at SMU. Becerra is eighth overall with 1,168 digs.
SMU enters the weekend having won four of its last five matches, including three victories in straight sets. Freshman Caroline Young has led the Mustangs with 61 kills over the five-match stretch and has 184 on the season. The Mustangs are hitting .243 and holding opponents to a .117 attack percentage in the five matches with an impressive 2.89 blocks per set.
On the season, the Mustangs are second in Conference USA in both digs (17.03/set) and blocks (2.65/set), led by Sidney Stewart's 5.05 digs per set and Courtney Manning's 1.39 blocks per set. Manning leads the league, while Stewart is third. The only team ahead of SMU in digs is Southern Miss, led by Lisa Knecht's 5.12 digs per set, second in the conference.
The Golden Eagles enter the weekend a match behind the Mustangs in the conference standings with a 6-7 record in C-USA matches. Ashley Mell leads the team and is fourth in the league averaging 3.39 kills per set and has 261 kills on the season. The Golden Eagles are fourth as a team in the conference as well, scoring 13.5 kills per set.
IN THE PAST
The Mustangs are 4-2 all-time against the Golden Eagles, with a 1-1 record in Hattiesburg. SMU won 3-2 in Dallas last season, taking the fifth set 15-10 after the first four sets were all decided by four points or less. Southern Miss won the first meeting between the two schools, sweeping the Mustangs on Sept. 24, 2006.
HEATING UP
The Mustangs are 4-1 in their last five matches, including three victories in straight sets. SMU extended its winning streak over third-place UAB to five matches, all sweeps, and moved into a tie for fifth two games behind second-place Houston with seven matches left.
BECERRA REACHES 1000, ENTERS TOP-10
Kelli Becerra became the second setter in SMU history to achieve at least 4,000 assists and 1,000 digs. She has 1,168 career digs, ranking eighth all-time at SMU, and with two more digs she would pass Leslie Olson for most digs by a setter. The senior is second all-time at SMU with 4,015 assists, one of just five Mustangs to have at least 3,000 assists. She is only the second player in SMU history and 17th player in Conference USA history with at least 4,000 assists.
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 2,088, 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 third in C-USA and 43rd in the NCAA with 5.05 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 23rd in the NCAA with 2.65 blocks per set and second in the league and 39th in the country with 17.03 digs per set. Courtney Manning leads C-USA in blocks and is 18th in the NCAA with 1.39 per set, and Sidney Stewart is third in the conference in digs and 43rd in the country with 5.05 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. Senior Dana Powell leads the team with 15, and had a string of six-straight starting Sept. 25 at UTEP until Oct. 9 against Tulane. Kelli Becerra has 14, and freshman Savannah Myklebust has three double-doubles. Kendrick Koch recorded the first two of her career against ECU and Marshall. Courtney Manning and Jessica Oliver each have one.
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 (2,088), Powell is fifth in kills (1,418) and third in digs (1,526), Becerra is second in assists (4,015) and Oliver is sixth in blocks (402). 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, sweeping UAB twice and taking a road win at Tulsa. 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 12-1 league mark. SMU also handed Houston its second league loss of the year. Houston is second in the conference at 9-4, while UAB is 8-5.
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 136 blocks, pushing her career total to 426 blocks, ranking fourth in school history. Jessica Oliver is fifth with 402. 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 CHASES ANOTHER MILESTONE
Dana Powell needs just 58 kills to become the first player at SMU to have 1,500 kills and 1,500 digs in a career. The senior has 1,526 digs (3rd at SMU) and 1,442 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.
