Mustangs Host UCF And USF For Crucial Conference Matches

Thursday, November 10

Dallas

7 p.m.

SMU

UCF

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Mustangs Host UCF And USF For Crucial Conference Matches

Nov 9 | Volleyball

Match Notes

SMU (19-7, 12-2 The American) vs. UCF (20-7, 10-4 The American)
Date & Time	Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
Location	Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
Live Stats	SIDEARM Stats
Live Video	PonyUp TV
Match Info	Match Notes (.pdf)
SMU vs. USF (16-10, 7-7 The American)
Date & Time	Saturday, Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.
Location	Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
Live Stats	SIDEARM Stats
Live Video	PonyUp TV
SMU Volleyball on Social Media
Facebook	/SMUMustangs \| /SMUVolleyball
Twitter	@SMUMustangs \| @SMUVolleyball
Instagram	/SMUVolleyball

The SMU volleyball team plays home matches against UCF Thursday and USF Saturday before playing three of its last four matches on the road. The Mustangs had won six straight matches, the longest streak of the season, before losing at Cincinnati on Nov. 4. SMU reclaimed sole possession of first place in the American Athletic Conference with a win at East Carolina and a Cincinnati loss to Tulsa. The Mustangs are one match ahead of Cincinnati and Temple, and two matches in front of UCF.

SMU is 19-7 overall, 12-2 in The American, and boasts the league's top statistical defense, holding conference opponents to a .172 attack percentage (1st), with a league-high 2.37 blocks per set and 16.81 digs per set (4th). Janelle Giordano leads the league with 1.43 blocks per set against conference opponents, and Morgan Heise is second, averaging 4.98 digs against The American opponents. Katie Hegarty leads the offense with 3.48 kills per set against the league, sixth in the conference, and SMU is fourth in conference matches with a .232 attack percentage, led by Giordano's .317.

UCF is 20-7 overall, 10-4 in The American, and has won each of its last three matches, including two straight on the road. The Knights are 5-1 on the road during conference play, losing at Cincinnati on Oct. 2. Jale Hervey leads the Knights with 4.44 kills per set, third in the conference, and is hitting .265. UCF is second in the league overall in hitting percentage, .241, and kills per set, 14.23. The Knights are second in the league with 13.35 assists per set, with Miranda Watkins and Farah Rajaee running the 6-2 system. SMU is 12-5 all-time against the Knights, winning the last three matches, including a 3-0 win in Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 23. SMU is 5-2 at home against UCF, winning 3-0 in Moody Coliseum last season.

USF enters the weekend with a 16-10 record overall and 7-7 in The American. The Bulls have lost three straight and four of their last six going back to a 3-1 loss to SMU on Oct. 21 in Tampa, Fla. Dakota Hampton leads the team with 3.07 kills per set, and is one of four Bulls with more than 175 kills this season. USF is hitting .235 as a team, led by Joli Holland's .327 attack percentage. Opponents are hitting just .183 against the Bulls. SMU is 5-3 all-time against USF, but the Mustangs are just 1-2 at home.

NATIONAL LEADERS BREAKING RECORDS
Janelle Giordano and Morgan Heise rank among the active career leaders in their respective stat categories, while shattering career records at SMU. Heise broke her own single-season record with 721 digs last season, and has 2,245 career digs, ranking third among active Division I liberos. The senior passed Sidney Stewart SMU, who set a record with 2,218 digs from 2008-11. Heise had 625 digs as a sophomore, and was named conference Libero of the Year each of the last two seasons. She has 492 digs this season, averaging a league-high 5.18 per set, 17th in the NCAA, and has been named The American Defensive Player of the Week four of the last seven weeks.

Giordano set a program and conference record with 188 blocks last season, third in the NCAA, and passed Courtney Manning with 590 career blocks. Manning had 579 blocks from 2009-12. Giordano is second among active leaders behind only BYU's Whitney Young Howard, who has 596 blocks. The senior had a season-high 11 blocks against Tulane, and has 129 blocks this season, best in The American and 20th in the NCAA.

COACH OF THE YEAR
Lisa Seifert was named AVCA Region Coach of the Year and American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Mustangs to a 27-6 record, a 17-3 mark in The American, the program's first conference championship and an NCAA appearance. She guided five players to all-conference honors, including Player and Setter of the Year, Avery Acker, and back-to-back Libero of the Year, Morgan Heise. Three players were named to the all-region team, and Avery Acker earned her third All-America Honorable Mention award, as well as CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year accolades. Seifert was also named Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 2003. Seifert earned her 350th career win with a 3-1 victory against Connecticut Oct. 7, 2016.

FAST START
The Mustangs won their first five conference matches before falling in five sets against Temple, and SMU is in sole possession of first place in the conference at 9-1. The five-match win streak to start the conference schedule was the best since SMU won its first six league matches in 2003, going 8-1 before its second loss. SMU lost its first match of the season last year before winning 16 straight, the longest win streak in program history. The Mustangs went on to finish 17-3 in The American to win the championship.

FRESHMAN CLASS
SMU added five freshmen to its 2016 roster. The signing class includes a player at every position, including 6-3 middle blocker Meryn Kennedy, who finished with 135 blocks and 194 kills while hitting .464 as a senior at Allen High School.
The Mustangs also signed Ashley Homan, a 6-0 outside hitter from Brenham High School, the same program which produced All-American Caroline Young. Ashtyn Richey, a 6-1 right side from Prosper High School, gives SMU a third 6-footer in the class, which also includes Kendall Patterson, a setter from Hebron High School in Carrollton, Texas, and Montana Watts, a libero from Boyd High School in McKinney, Texas.

MOODY MAGIC
SMU set a program record with 15 home wins and just one loss in 2014, and went 14-2 at home last season. The Mustangs are 174-99 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 six of the last eight seasons, going 91-22 on the Hilltop during the stretch. Since joining the American Athletic Conference in 2013, SMU is 28-5 at home in conference matches. The Mustangs are 8-2 at home this season, 6-1 in league play.

RECENT SUCCESS
Over the last seven seasons, SMU is 153-70 overall and 98-36 in conference matches, including a 46-12 record in three seasons in the American Athletic Conference. Five players have combined for eight All-America Honorable Mention awards, and a Mustang has earned a conference Player of the Year award for their position each of the past three seasons, with Avery Acker earning the program's first conference Player of the Year award. Acker (setter) and Morgan Heise (libero) each have two player of the year awards at their positions.

KATIE HEGARTY
Katie Hegarty scored at least 10 kills in 21 of 26 matches this season, including 11 of 14 conference matches, and has led the Mustangs in scoring 17 times. The junior is fifth in the conference, averaging 3.73 kills per set. She recorded a career-high 23 kills against Little Rock, and has 341 kills this season. She scored 20 kills against TCU and 14 against then-No. 8 North Carolina. Hegarty eclipsed 20 kills for the fourth time this season with 22 against Tulane. Hegarty also has four double-doubles, and posted the first triple-double in American Athletic Conference history and sixth in program history with 22 kills, 12 digs and a career-high 10 blocks against the Green Wave.

KENDALL PATTERSON
Freshman setter Kendall Patterson is averaging 10.68 assists per set, leading The American and ranking 40th in the NCAA. Facing a pair of top-40 teams, including then-No. 8 North Carolina, in two of three matches at the Horned Frogs Classic, Patterson averaged 12.00 assists. She had a season-high 54 assists in a 3-2 win against Cincinnati, and has 12 matches with at least 40 assists, including 43 in a 3-0 win at East Carolina. In conference matches, Patterson is averaging 10.89 assists per set, second in the league, and has the Mustangs hitting .232, fourth in the league, with 13.39 kills per set.

KRISTEN STEHLING
Kristen Stehling has 300 blocks in her career, ranking ninth in program history. Stehling has 71 blocks this season, and is one of five attackers with at least 100 kills, scoring 197 with a .263 attack percentage. The middle blocker has scored at least 10 kills six times this season, including four times in conference matches. Stehling scored a season-high 13 kills against Montana and again against Cincinnati.

LAUREN MILLS
Lauren Mills has 231 kills this season, second on the team. She scored a career-high 15 kills against East Carolina before recording 19 kills at USF. The junior has reached double figures in kills 11 times, including eight conference matches, and has nine double-doubles. Mills recorded a career-high 20 digs against UTSA at home earlier this season, and posted at least 10 digs in 12 matches this year, including seven conference matches. She is second on the team with 275 digs, averaging 2.89 per set, and also has 14 service aces.

BRITTANY ADAMS
Brittany Adams has 150 kills, averaging just under two per set, and the sophomore is averaging 2.13 kills per set in conference matches. Adams is one of five SMU attackers to score at least 150 kills this season. She also has 85 digs and 42 blocks. Adams scored a career-high 17 kills against Temple, and has reached double figures in kills three times this season. She also recorded a career-high 12 digs against the Owls for her first double-double.

ASHLEY HOMAN
Freshman Ashley Homan got her first start of the season against Sam Houston State and scored a team-high 11 kills with a .435 attack percentage. The outside hitter has 49 kills in 31 sets this season, scoring 22 in 11 sets at the Horned Frogs Classic. She also has nine blocks, 12 digs and an assist.