Mustangs Host Tulane And Houston After Long Road Stretch

Nov. 11, 2015

[RV] SMU (23-3, 13-1) vs. Tulane (9-17, 3-11)
Date & Time	Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.
Location	Moody Coliseum -- Dallas, Texas
Live Stats	Gametracker
Live Video	PonyUp TV
Match Info	Match Notes (.pdf)
SMU vs. Houston (16-10, 6-8)
Date & Time	Sunday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m.
Location	Moody Coliseum -- Dallas, Texas
Live Stats
Live Video	PonyUp TV
Facebook	/SMUMustangs \| /SMUVolleyball
Twitter	@SMUMustangs \| @SMUVolleyball
Instagram	/SMUVolleyball

The Mustangs play four of their final six regular season matches at home in Moody Coliseum, starting with Tulane Friday at 7 p.m., followed by Houston Sunday at 1 p.m. SMU has won its last 13 matches since losing at Houston in the first American Athletic Conference match of the season, setting a program record for longest winning streak.

SMU is 23-3 overall, 13-1 in The American, led by senior setter Avery Acker. The Mustangs have won 12 matches in straight sets, including five of the last six and eight of the last 11. Conference opponents have combined to win just eight sets, and only five in the last 13 matches.

Acker is ranked first in the NCAA, averaging 12.29 assists per set, and the Mustangs are hitting .240, second in the conference. Janelle Giordano leads the country with 155.0 total blocks and is second nationally, averaging 1.67 blocks per set. Morgan Heise leads the conference and is fourth in the nation with 5.97 digs per set. The SMU defense is holding opponents to a .146 attack percentage, which ranks ninth in the country.

Tulane is 9-17 overall, 3-11 in The American, but has won two of its last four, including a victory over second-place Temple. Tea Juric leads the team with 350 kills, hitting .213, and Sarah Ray has 298 kills. As a team, the Green Wave is hitting .202 with 11.72 kills per set, while opponents are hitting .216 with 13.17 kills per set. SMU is 8-13 all-time against Tulane, but the Mustangs have won five of the last six, including a 3-0 win in New Orleans earlier this season. SMU is 5-5 at home against Tulane, winning the last three in Dallas.

Houston is 16-10 overall, 6-8 in The American, and has lost seven of its last nine since starting 4-1 in conference matches. Brookah Palmer leads the conference with 4.15 kills per set, scoring 415 this season, and Hunter Wise has 205 kills, averaging 2.28. As a team, the Cougars are hitting .196 with 12.6 kills per set, while holding opponents to a .192 attack percentage with 11.91 kills per set. SMU is 14-12 all-time against Houston, winning five straight before losing in Houston earlier this season. SMU is 8-4 against the Cougars in Dallas, winning the last seven at home.

RECEIVING VOTES
SMU is receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the fifth straight week and seventh time this season after a pair of wins to take a four-match lead in the American Athletic Conference. Based on the number of votes, SMU would rank 27th in this week's poll. The Mustangs received votes for the first time in program history last season, appearing in the polls three times.

RANKED OPPONENTS
SMU is the only American Athletic Conference program to defeat a ranked opponent, doing so twice in the last two seasons. The Mustangs beat then-No. 18 San Diego at the UC Santa Barbara Invitational, and outlasted then-No. 24 Oklahoma 3-2 to win the SMU DoubleTree Classic last year. SMU has faced three ranked opponents this season, matching the 2011 squad for most matches against ranked teams.

BLOCK PARTY
Janelle Giordano leads the NCAA with 155 blocks, averaging 1.67 per set, second in the nation. She has been named to the conference weekly honor roll four times, and was named Defensive Player of the Week after setting a school and league record for most blocks in a three-set match with 12 against Cincinnati. Kristen Stehling matched the conference record with a career-high 13 blocks in the win at New Mexico, and has 82 blocks this season. Katie Hegarty also has 72 blocks. As a team, SMU is leading the American Athletic Conference with 2.73 blocks per set, 23rd in the country.

SMU SINGLE-SEAON BLOCKS LEADERS1.     Courtney Manning (2011)    1842.    Courtney Manning (2010)    1623.    Janelle Giordano (2014)    160T-4.    Janelle Giordano (2015)    155T-4.    Caroline Daly (2011)    155

SMU CAREER BLOCKS LEADERS1.     Courtney Manning (2009-2012)    5792.    Kendra Kahanek (2006-09)    4673.    Natalie Peters (2005-08)    4844.    Melissa Godwin (1997-00)    4435.    Jessica Oliver (2008-11)    435

6. Janelle Giordano (2013-Present) 428

CHASING RECORDS
Morgan Heise ranks fourth all-time at SMU with 1,587 career digs. The junior has 555 digs this season, and set a single-season record at SMU with 626 digs a year ago. Sidney Stewart holds the record with 2,218 digs from 2008 to 2011. Heise needs two digs to pass Kathryn Wilkerson (2007-10, 1,588) for third at SMU.

SMU ALL-TIME DIGS LEADERS1.     Sideny Stewart (2008-11)    2,2182.    Dana Powell (2008-11)    1,6413.    Kathryn Wilkerson (2007-10)    1,5884.    Morgan Heise (2013-Present)    1,5875.    Beth Karasek (2001-04)    1,416

DEFENSIVE DOMINANCE
Morgan Heise leads the American Athletic Conference and is fourth in the NCAA, averaging 5.97 digs per set. She has been named conference Defensive Player of the Week five times this season. Heise recorded a season-high 36 against Arizona, and had at least 30 digs three times this season. Heise has 555 digs this season, following up a school-record 626 last year. As a team, SMU leads the conference and is 12th in the nation with 17.44 digs per set.

SENIOR LEADERSHIP
Avery Acker leads the NCAA with 12.29 assists per set, and is second on the team with 282 digs. She has posted 14 double-doubles, and has the team hitting .240, second in the conference. Abbey Bybel leads the team with 275 kills, and she recorded her 1,000th career kill against Temple. Bybel matched her career high with 17 digs against Arizona, and has eight double-doubles this season. Cailin Bula has 238 kills, and is hitting .270. She scored a career-high 20 kills against Tulsa, the most by an SMU player this season.

EVEN DISTRIBUTION
Abbey Bybel leads the team with 275 kills, and is one of four Mustangs with at least 200 kills. Janelle Giordano has 234 kills with a team-high .386 attack percentage, third in The American, and Cailin Bula has 238 kills, hitting .270. Katie Hegarty has 203, and Kristen Stehling has 198 kills, hitting .303. All five attackers had at least 10 kills against TCU, and 11 different Mustangs scored a kill against ECU.

MOODY MAGIC
SMU set a program record with 15 home wins and just one loss last season. The Mustangs are 156-94 all-time in Moody Coliseum, and went 10-2 in 2013 while playing home matches in the Dedman Center on campus. SMU has won at least 10 matches at home in four of the last six seasons, going 63-18 on the Hilltop during the stretch. SMU is 11-1 at home this season, with four home matches remaining.

RECORD-SETTING SEASON
The Mustangs won a program-best 26 matches last season, including a record 15 at home. An SMU-record 11-match win streak highlighted the season. A 3-2 victory over then-No. 24 Oklahoma, the program's first over an AVCA Top-25 team, propelled the Mustangs into the AVCA poll for the first time in school history, receiving votes for three weeks.

RECENT SUCCESS
Over the last five seasons, SMU is 99-58 overall and 64-30 in conference matches, including a 29-9 record in two seasons in the American Athletic Conference. Three players have combined for five All-America Honorable Mention awards, and a Mustang has earned a conference Player of the Year award for their position each of the past two seasons.

Schedule

Mustangs Host Tulane And Houston After Long Road Stretch

Players Mentioned

Avery Acker

Cailin Bula

Abbey Bybel

Janelle Giordano

Janelle Giordano

Katie Hegarty

Morgan Heise

Morgan Heise

Kristen Stehling

Footer

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Pittsburgh on Oct 7, 2026 at 6pm CT

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Pittsburgh on Oct 11, 2026 at 2pm CT

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Miami on Oct 16, 2026 at 7pm CT

Upcoming Event: Volleyball versus Florida State on Oct 18, 2026 at 1pm CT

Upcoming Event: Volleyball at Clemson on Oct 23, 2026 at 5pm CT

Results

Completed Event: Volleyball at Boston College on October 4, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Volleyball at Syracuse on October 2, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Volleyball versus California on September 27, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 1

Completed Event: Volleyball versus #12 Stanford on September 25, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 0

Completed Event: Volleyball versus Yale on September 19, 2026 , Win , 3, to, 0

Mustangs Host Tulane And Houston After Long Road Stretch

Related News

Players Mentioned

Avery Acker

Cailin Bula

Abbey Bybel

Janelle Giordano

Janelle Giordano

Katie Hegarty

Morgan Heise

Morgan Heise

Kristen Stehling

Related Videos

Footer