DALLAS (SMU) – Katie Hegarty scored 16 kills to lead the SMU volleyball team to its 21st win of the season with a 3-0 victory against USF in Moody Coliseum Saturday afternoon. The Mustangs improved to 21-7 and 14-2 in the American Athletic Conference, while the Bulls fell to 16-12 and 7-9 in The American.
The Mustangs completed their third straight sweep and 13th of the season with a 25-20 win in the third set. SMU trailed 10-6 early in the set, but a 7-1 run gave the Mustangs a 13-11 lead. SMU never trailed again.
Hegarty hit .282 to score the match high, and
Kristen Stehling and
Lauren Mills each added nine kills.
Janelle Giordano scored eight kills and posted eight blocks.
Morgan Heise had 15 digs, and
Kendall Patterson had 13 digs with 38 assists for her 10th double-double of the season.
With a three-point lead, 13-10, SMU went on an 8-3 run, taking a 21-13 lead, en route to a 25-16 win in the first set. The Mustangs scored six kills during the stretch, including four straight to cap off the scoring spree. Hegarty led the SMU offense with eight kills, while the SMU defense held USF to seven kills and a .000 attack percentage. The Mustangs posted blocks on three of the Bulls' seven errors, with two from Giordano, and Heise had seven digs in the set. Patterson assisted on 11 of SMU's 16 kills and also had a set-high eight digs.
SMU scored three straight points to win the second set 25-23. In the middle of the set and leading, 13-11, SMU went on a 6-1 run to go up 19-12 on the Bulls. USF retaliated by posting five straight points, cutting the Mustangs' lead to two. With the lead still just two for the Mustangs, USF rallied for three straight, taking a 23-22 lead, before the Mustangs bounced back to end the set with their late run. Giordano and Hegarty led the offense with four kills each, and Patterson assisted on 12 of SMU's 13 kills. Giordano posted a team-high .571 hitting percentage, scoring on four of seven attempts.
The Mustangs play at Tulsa Wednesday at 6 p.m. before hosting Memphis in the final home match of the season Sunday, Nov. 20, at 1 p.m.
