JONESBORO, Ark. (SMU) – The SMU volleyball team ended up on the short end of a tightly contested three-set match against Virginia Tech in its final match at the Arkansas State Invitational Saturday.
Lauren Mills led the team with 12 kills and had 12 digs for her third double-double of the season and second of the tournament.
After a pair of two-point sets went to Virginia Tech (5-1), the Hokies took the third set, 25-20, to end the match. SMU cut what was a five-point deficit, 15-10, down to one, 20-19, but that was as close as the Mustangs (3-3) could get.
SMU hit just .178 as a team with 37 kills on the offensive side. Defensively, the Mustangs posted nine blocks to Virginia Tech's seven, but the Hokies hit .277 with 50 kills for the win.
Brittany Adams finished with seven kills, and
Kelly Brunstein scored six kills with seven blocks, including two solo blocks.
The Hokies edged out the Mustangs in the first set, winning 25-23. SMU held the lead for just one serve, scoring four straight with a pair of kills and a block by Adams to take a 7-6 lead, but Virginia Tech scored the next three points. The score was tied nine times, including at 21-21, but Virginia Tech score three straight to get to set point, 24-21. SMU scored a kill and a block, cutting the lead to one, before Virginia Tech took a timeout. After the break, the Hokies scored a kill for the two-point win. SMU hit .258 with 13 kills, seven by Mills, and had three blocks, but the Hokie offense scored 17 kills.
SMU led 24-22 in the second set, scoring back-to-back points on a kill by Linden and an ace by
Julia DiBona, one point away from tying the match. Virginia Tech didn't let the Mustangs get the winning point, rallying to score four consecutive to win the set, 26-24, and take a 2-0 lead. A set that featured several long rallies for points saw the Mustangs score 17 kills with a .275 attack percentage, only to be bested by the Hokies, who scored 18 kills with a .317 attack percentage.
The Mustangs take on UT San Antonio Friday at 1 p.m. in San Marcos, Texas, in the first match of the Creeds and Crests Classic at Texas State. SMU also plays Texas State Friday night and UMass-Lowell Saturday.
