Thursday, October 26
Dallas
7 p.m.
SMU
vs
Cincinnati
Mustangs Host Cincinnati Thursday, ECU Saturday
Oct 24 | Volleyball
| SMU (14-7, 8-2 The American) vs. Cincinnati (9-13, 7-3 The American) | |
| Date & Time | Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. |
| Location | Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas |
| Live Stats | Sidearm Stats |
| Live Video | American Digital Network |
| Match Info | Match Notes (.pdf) |
| SMU vs. East Carolina (15-7, 7-3 The American) | |
| Date & Time | Saturday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m. |
| Location | Moody Coliseum –Dallas, Texas |
| Live Stats | Sidearm Stats |
| Live Video | PonyUp TV |
| SMU Volleyball on Social Media | |
| /SMUMustangs | /SMUVolleyball | |
| @SMUMustangs | @SMUVolleyball | |
| /SMUVolleyball | |
The SMU volleyball team returns home to host Cincinnati Thursday at 7 p.m. and East Carolina Saturday at 1 p.m. The Mustangs played four straight road matches, going 2-2 to post an 8-2 mark in the American Athletic Conference at the midpoint of the conference schedule.
ABOUT SMU
The Mustangs are 14-7 overall, led by Lauren Mills. The senior leads The American with 13 double-doubles, scoring a team-high 3.54 kills per set, seventh in the conference, with 3.33 digs per set, ranking 13th. Brittany Adams averages 3.00 kills, while SMU is hitting .208 with 13.53 kills per set.
Defensively, the Mustangs lead the league with 17.44 digs per set and rank third with 2.36 blocks per set. Montana Watts leads the team with 4.75 digs per set, and is fifth in the league in conference matches with 4.82 per set. Lexi Nordmann is tied for the conference lead with 1.22 blocks per set, while Meryn Kennedy is 11th with 1.00 blocks per set. Both freshmen have 67 blocks this season, while junior Kelly Brunstein has 66 blocks, ranking 15th in the league, averaging 0.90 blocks playing both middle blocker and opposite hitter this season.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
The Bearcats are 9-13 overall, but have a 7-3 record in conference matches. The Mustangs won the first match of the season, 3-2 in Cincinnati on Oct. 1. Carly Nolan leads the team with 4.10 kills per set, and Erica Kostelac is scoring 2.94 kills per set. Cincinnati is hitting .173 as a team with 12.43 kills per set, while opponents are hitting .207 with 13.29 kills per set. Jasmine Jones has 87 blocks, averaging 1.19, and Abby Williams averages 3.47 digs as the libero.
Series History: SMU is 8-1 against Cincinnati in a series that started in 2013 with the creation of the American Athletic Conference. SMU won the first seven before the Bearcats took a 3-0 victory at home last season. The Mustangs won at Cincinnati earlier this season with a 21-19 victory in the fifth set. SMU set a league and program record with 23 blocks in the match.
SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
The Pirates are 15-7 overall and 7-3 in The American, winning six straight before a loss at Wichita State. Lael Ceriani leads the team with 3.22 kills per set, and is one of four attackers averaging at least two kills. Natalie Montini leads the team with a .330 attack percentage, scoring 2.46 kills per set. ECU is hitting .234 as a team with 13.10 kills per set, while holding opponents to a .188 attack percentage and 12.41 kills. Brandee Markwith averages 5.20 of ECU's 15.87 digs per set.
Series History: SMU is 13-4 all-time against ECU, winning the last 12 straight. SMU won the first meeting, 3-2, on Oct. 28, 2005, in Greenville, N.C. SMU is 7-1 at home against the Pirates, winning six straight matches with just one set lost during the streak. The Mustangs won the first match this season with a 15-7 victory in the fifth set in Greenville on Sept. 29. It was the first time since a 2008 loss for SMU that the match lasted five sets.
BACK-TO-BACK CHAMPS
SMU successfully defended its American Athletic Conference championship, going 18-2 against league opponents. After going 17-3 in 2015 for the program's first title, the Mustangs won 11 of their first 12 conference matches in 2016 and never dropped below at least tied for first all season. For the second straight season, SMU clinched sole possession of the championship with a win at Connecticut (3-1), this time in the last match of the regular season.
AMERICAN SUCCESS
SMU is 70-14 in American Athletic Conference matches since the league's inception four seasons ago. The Mustangs finished runner-up behind champions Louisville and UCF in the first two years before winning back-to-back championships. SMU players have earned 19 all-conference awards, one conference Player of the Year award, one Freshman of the Year award and five yearly awards for position. Lisa Seifert was also named conference Coach of the Year in 2015. With 18 conference wins in 2016, SMU matched the conference record for league wins.
NCAA VICTORY
The Mustangs advanced to the NCAA Tournament, playing in the first round at Texas for the second straight year. SMU swept Texas A&M (25-23, 25-23, 25-18) for its first NCAA victory in the program's first match against the Aggies. Katie Hegarty scored a match-high 14 kills, and Kendall Patterson posted her 12th double-double of the season with 36 assists and 10 digs. The SMU defense held Texas A&M to a .177 attack percentage, recording 10 blocks and 51 digs. SMU was eliminated in the second round by national runner-up No. 4 Texas.
POSTSEASON AWARDS
Five Mustangs earned All-American Athletic Conference honors, with Katie Hegarty, Janelle Giordano and Morgan Heise named to the first team, while Kendall Patterson and Kristen Stehling earned second-team accolades. Heise earned her third straight conference Libero of the Year award and a selection on the AVCA All-America Honorable Mention list for the second straight season. Hegarty, Heise and Giordano also earned selections to the AVCA All-Region team. Patterson was tabbed as The American's Freshman of the Year.
MOODY MAGIC
The Mustangs are 188-102 all-time in home matches and 176-100 in matches played at Moody Coliseum. Since the renovation to Moody Coliseum in 2014, SMU is 42-11 in home matches over four seasons, including a program-best 15-1 record in Moody in 2014. SMU clinched what at the time was at least a share of its first conference championship with a 3-1 win against Houston in front of its home fans on Nov. 15, 2015. SMU won 12 straight home matches during the 2015 season
TEAM CAPTAINS
Katie Hegarty and Kendall Patterson were selected as team captains for the 2017 season. Team captains are elected by the players. Both players earned all-conference accolades in 2016, and led the team in their respective stat category (kills and assists).
KATIE HEGARTY
Katie Hegarty averages 3.11 kills per set, and was scoring 2.83 per set against conference opponents before missing the last two weeks, her second stint of missed time due to injury. She has missed a total of 12 matches this season.
KENDALL PATTERSON
Kendall Patterson led the American Athletic Conference with 1,325 assists, averaging 10.95 per set, during her first season on the Hilltop, earning the league's Freshman of the Year Award. As a sophomore, Patterson is third in the conference with 9.80 assists per set. She has nine double-doubles, including five in conference matches. Against league opponents this season, Patterson is fourth with 10.74 assists per set, and recorded a season-high 59 assists at East Carolina.
LAUREN MILLS
Lauren Mills leads the team and ranks seventh in the conference with 3.54 kills per set this season. The senior scored a career-high 27 kills in a 3-1 win against UTSA, matching the SMU single-match record for a four-set match. Her 27 kills is tied for fifth all-time in a match at SMU, and the record is 33, set by Rachel Giubilato on Oct. 3, 2006 against Stephen F. Austin. Mills has a league-best 13 double-doubles this season, and is averaging 3.33 digs per set, 13th in the league. She earned her second conference Offensive Player of the Week award of the season after leading The American with 34 kills in the first two league matches, recording double-doubles against Tulane and Houston. In conference play, Mills is scoring 3.53 kills per set.
BRITTANY ADAMS
Brittany Adams is second on the team with 213 kills, ranking 10th in the conference with 3.00 per set. She earned all-tournament honors at Texas State, matching her then-career high with 18 kills against Texas State. She also had 17 digs in one of two double-doubles at the tournament. Adams has seven double-doubles this season, and has scored at least 10 kills 13 times, including seven conference matches. She recorded a new career high with 19 kills at ECU, and a season-high 18 digs at Cincinnati.
RECORD-SETTING DAY
SMU set a conference and program record with 23.0 total blocks in a five-set win at Cincinnati. Freshman Meryn Kennedy led the defense with 12 blocks (1 BS, 11 BA), and junior Kelly Brunstein posted 10 (5 BS, 5 BA), both career highs. Kennedy is tied for sixth in a match at SMU with the fourth highest block total recorded by a Mustang, while Bruntein's five solo blocks is tied for second. She is just the third Mustang with five solo blocks in a match.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Meryn Kennedy was named The American Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 2. The redshirt freshman recorded 12 blocks against Cincinnati to help the Mustangs set a conference and program record with 23.0 total blocks. Kennedy scored a career-high 20 kills to lead the Mustangs at East Carolina. She also had 11 digs in the two matches, and averaged 1.50 blocks per set on the weekend. She earned the third award for the Mustangs, with Lauren Mills earning two offensive awards in three weeks.
SMU PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Lauren Mills Offensive Sept. 11
Lauren Mills Offensive Sept. 25
Meryn Kennedy Defensive Oct. 2
ABOVE THE NET
SMU is third in The American with 2.36 blocks per set. Three players rank in the top 15 in the league in blocks per set, led by freshman Lexi Nordmann, who is tied for the league lead with 1.22 per set. Meryn Kennedy is 11th, averaging 1.00, and Kelly Brunstein, who has played middle blocker and right-side hitter this season, ranks 15th in the league with 0.90 per set. SMU has blocked at least 10 attacks seven times this season, including a three-set match at Arkansas State.
LITTLE DIG TOWN
The Mustangs lead the conference and ranks 19th in the NCAA with 17.44 digs per set. Montana Watts is sixth in the league with 4.75 digs per set, and Lauren Mills is 13th with 3.33 digs per set. SMU eclipsed 90 in a match twice this season, with a season-high 91 in a five-set win at Texas State and 90 in a 3-1 win against UTSA. In 2015, SMU led the league with 17.39 digs per set.
Players Mentioned
Outside Hitter
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Middle Blocker
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Middle Blocker
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Opposite Hitter
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Libero
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Middle Blocker
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Outside Hitter
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Middle Blocker
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Setter
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Middle Blocker
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Libero
/ VolleyballSaturday, September 12
Saturday, September 12
Friday, September 11
Thursday, September 10
