DALLAS (SMU) – Katie Hegarty scored 22 kills to lead the SMU volleyball team to a 3-1 win against Connecticut in Moody Coliseum Friday night. With the win, the Mustangs improved to 5-0 in the American Athletic Conference and 12-5 overall, while the Huskies fell to 12-4, 3-2 in The American.

SMU ended the match with a 25-20 victory in the fourth set, scoring on its second attempt at match point with a kill by Brittany Adams, who finished with nine kills in the match. SMU took an 8-4 lead to start the set and never trailed, leading by as many as seven points, 16-9.

Freshman setter Kendall Patterson recorded 51 assists, eclipsing 50 for the second time this season, and directed the Mustangs to a season-high .394 attack percentage. Hegarty hit .455 with just two errors in 44 attempts, and was one of four Mustangs hitting above .400. The junior also had 13 digs for her second double-double of the season. Lauren Mills scored 11 kills with 10 digs, posting her seventh double-double. Kristen Stehling added nine kills on a .444 attack percentage with five blocks, and Janelle Giordano scored seven kills and four blocks.

The Mustangs took a 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-17 victory in the third set, with Hegarty scoring six kills. SMU scored four unanswered, breaking a 4-4 tie for an 8-4 lead, scoring the last two on a pair of blocks. The Huskies cut the lead in half, 10-8, but never got closer than two points. The SMU lead was just three late, 17-14, but the Mustangs scored eight points on the last 11 serves to close out the set.

SMU hit .536 with 16 kills and just one error en route to a 25-14 victory in the first set. The Mustangs led 8-6 before going on a 5-1 run, taking a 13-7 lead. After the two teams exchanged points on the next four serves, the Mustangs out-scored Connecticut 10-5 for the win. Hegarty led the offensive attack with five kills, and the defense held the Huskies to 10 kills on a .179 attack percentage.

The Huskies evened the set, 1-1, with a 25-17 win in the second set. SMU scored three straight points to take a 5-4 lead, but it was the only lead the Mustangs had in the set. Connecticut scored the next two points for the last lead change, despite the score being tied four more times, the last at 13-13. The Huskies scored five unanswered points to break the tie, and SMU was unable to recover from the run. SMU hit .423 in the set, but Connecticut scored 20 kills with a .531 attack percentage. Hegarty again had five kills for SMU, reaching double figures after the second set.

The Mustangs play their second of three straight home matches Sunday against Temple at 1 p.m. The Owls are 4-1 in The American and 11-4 overall after a win at Tulsa Friday.