RALEIGH, N.C. (SMU) – Despite a 3-2 loss at NC State, the SMU volleyball team was named tournament champion by virtue of a sets-won tiebreaker, with SMU's loss coming in five sets to NC State and the Wolfpack losing in four sets against High Point. Katie Hegarty was named tournament MVP, and Janelle Giordano earned all-tournament honors.

Hegarty scored 19 kills against NC State, finishing the tournament with 47 kills and a .273 attack percentage. Giordano had four blocks against the Wolfpack becoming just the third player in program history to eclipse 500 total blocks, taking her career total to 501. She also had 13 kills, scoring 23 kills with a team-high .333 attack percentage in the three matches with 20 blocks, averaging 1.82 per set.

Kristen Stehling added 10 kills, giving SMU (5-4) three players in double figures against the Wolfpack, and the senior captain also had four blocks. Morgan Heise had 18 digs, and freshman Montana Watts recorded 13, a new season high. Kendall Patterson had 10 digs with 43 assists for her second straight double-double and third of the season.

NC State won the last two sets to win the match, hitting .400 in the fourth and .556 in the fifth, with just one attack error in the race to 15. The Wolfpack finished the match with a .290 attack percentage, despite being held to a .075 attack percentage in the first set. The Mustangs were limited to just nine kills in the final two sets, falling 25-13 and 15-3.

The Mustangs took the first set from the Wolfpack, holding the advantage for a five-point win, 25-20. SMU scored 15 kills in the opening set, with five from Hegarty, and hit .297 to take the 1-0 lead. SMU scored the first three points, but NC State qucikly evened the score, 4-4. The Mustangs then went on a 5-0 run, and with the exception of a 10-8 SMU lead, the Wolfpack trailed by at least three points the sets of the set.

After hitting .075 in the first set, the Wolfpack hit .417 in the second set, scoring 19 kills with just four errors to win 25-18, tying the match, 1-1. SMU hit .214 in the set, and got six kills from Hegarty, but could not keep pace with NC State. The Wolfpack went on a 7-2 run to take a 13-8 lead. SMU cut the lead to two, 16-14, but the Wolfpack stretch it back to four with back-to-back points and held on for the win.

SMU recaptured the match lead with a 25-18 win in the third set. Trailing 15-13, Stehling smashed a kill to the floor, and then capped off a 4-0 run with a service ace, giving SMU a 17-15 lead. The Mustangs didn't trail the rest of the set. The SMU defense posted three blocks, and the offense hit .462 for the win.

The Mustangs face Sam Houston State, North Carolina and TCU in Fort Worth, Texas, Friday and Saturday in their final tournament before the start of American Athletic Conference matches Sept. 22.