The SMU volleyball team begins its second straight American Athletic Conference championship defense Friday night in Moody Coliseum against Tulane at 7 p.m. The Mustangs also host Houston Sunday at 1 p.m. on the first weekend of conference action. SMU went 18-2 in The American in 2016 to win its second league title after going 17-3 against conference opponents in 2015.
ABOUT SMU
The Mustangs are 6-5 this season, winning three straight at the Texas State tournament before losing two close matches at home, including a five-set loss to Arkansas in the final non-conference match of the regular season. Despite the results, SMU boasts one of the top statistical defenses in The American, leading the league with 17.49 digs per set and ranking third with 2.28 blocks per set. Offensively, SMU is fourth in hitting percentage, .216, and sixth in kills, averaging 13.40 per set.
Lauren Mills leads the team and is sixth in the conference with 3.56 kills per set, and
Brittany Adams is second on the squad with 3.09 kills per set.
Katie Hegarty was averaging 3.67 through 12 sets, but the senior has missed the last three weeks with an injury. Sophomore
Montana Watts anchors the defense, averaging 4.70 digs per set, seventh in the league. Mills is 11th in The American with 3.42 per set as a six-rotation player. Freshman
Lexi Nordmann leads the team with 37 blocks, tied for fourth with 1.19 per set, and redshirt-freshman
Meryn Kennedy is 13th, just shy of one per set with 30 on the season.
SCOUTING TULANE
The Green Wave is 11-2 on the season, winning six straight at home after a neutral-site loss against Stephen F. Austin. With an 8-0 home record, Tulane is just 3-2 away from New Orleans. Lexie Douglas leads the team with 115 kills, and is one of five attackers with at least 100 kills this season, all averaging at least two per set. As a team, Tulane is second in the league with 13.47 kills per set. Defensively, Tulane is third in opponent hitting percentage, .156, despite ranking eighth in blocks, 1.94, and digs, 15.21.
Series History: SMU is 11-13 all-time against Tulane in a series that dates back to 2001. Tulane won the first meeting at home 3-0 on Sept. 7, 2001. The Mustangs have won all six matches since Tulane joined The American in 2014, the league's second year of existence. SMU is 6-6 at home against the Green Wave, winning the last five matches played in Dallas.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
The Cougars are 4-4 overall, playing just three of the first four weekends due to Hurricane Harvey. Houston is 0-2 on its opponent's home court, losing at UT Arlington and at LSU. The Cougars lead the league in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to a .145 attack percentage with 10.25 kills per set. Offensively, Houston is hitting .166 with 12.72 kills. Brianna Lynch leads the team with 95 kills, averaging 2.97 per set, and is one of four attackers averaging at least two kills per set. Katie Karbo is second in The American with 5.50 digs per set.
Series History: SMU is 17-12 all-time against Houston. The Cougars won the first meeting, 3-0, in Houston on Sept. 23, 1998, and won the first seven matches in the series until SMU picked up a 3-2 road win on Oct. 29, 2006. The Mustangs have won eight of the last nine, and are 7-1 against the Cougars in AAC matches.
RALLY FOR HURRICANE RELIEF
The SMU volleyball program is asking fans to bring items to donate to victims of Hurricane Harvey to each of its next eight home matches. The Mustangs will donate the items to a distribution center in Houston prior to SMU's match at Houston Nov. 3. Requested items include, but are not limited to, new clothes, baby diapers and formula, toiletries, water and non-perishable food items.
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 64-14 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 184-102 all-time in home matches and 174-100 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 scored 461 kills last season, the most by an SMU player since Rachel Giubilato finished with a program-record 568 during the 2006 season. Hegarty's 461 kills ranked fifth in the conference last season and is fifth in a season all-time at SMU. She posted the league's first triple-double and the sixth in program history with 22 kills, 12 digs and a career-high 10 blocks against Tulane. The Aztec, N.M., native had four other double-doubles, finishing the season with 197 digs and 97 blocks. The senior started the 2017 season with 21 kills against Mississippi State, and was averaging 3.67 per set before suffering an injury.
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. The league's Freshman of the Year recorded 12 double-doubles, including a career-high 26 digs and 49 assists against Tulane. She finished the year with 308 digs and 42 blocks. Patterson recorded a career-high 54 assists against Cincinnati, and eclipsed 50 three times. She also led the team with 38 service aces. Patterson posted her first double-double of the 2017 campaign with 46 assists and 10 digs in a 3-0 win against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and had 58 assists in a five-set loss against Mississippi State. The sophomore is third in The American with 9.28 assists per set, and has four double-doubles this season.
LAUREN MILLS
Lauren Mills leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference with 3.56 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 also had double-doubles against UTSA (27 kills, 13 digs) and Texas State (15 kills, 19 digs), earning tournament MVP honors at Texas State. She has a team-best seven double-doubles this season, and is averaging 3.42 digs per set, 11th in the league.
BRITTANY ADAMS
Brittany Adams is second on the team with 102 kills, ranking eighth in the conference with 3.09 per set. She earned her first all-tournament honor at Texas State, matching her career-high with 18 kills against Texas State. She also had 17 digs in one of two double-doubles at the tournament. Adams has four double-doubles this season, and has scored at least 10 kills six times.
BUILDING BLOCKS
SMU features new faces in the middle of the net after the graduation of all-conference middle blockers
Janelle Giordano and
Kristen Stehling. Giordano finished her career as the all-time leader at SMU with 623 blocks, and Stehling had 89 during her senior season. Junior
Kelly Brunstein played in nine sets last year with four blocks. Freshmen
Meryn Kennedy and
Lexi Nordmann will also compete for playing time. Kennedy was redshirted last season after scoring 194 kills with 135 blocks as a senior at Allen High School. Nordmann was an Under Armour All-America second-team selection as a senior at Dewitt High School in Dewitt, Mich.
FRESHMEN MIDDLES
Freshman
Lexi Nordmann earned her first all-tournament honor hitting .429 with 21 kills and 10 blocks at the SMU DoubleTree Classic. She leads the team with 37 blocks this season, fourth in The American, and has a .229 attack percentage with 60 kills overall. Nordmann scored 14 kills in a win against Ole Miss, and had 13 kills in three sets against TCU.
Meryn Kennedy is 13th in The American with just under one block per set, posting 30 on the season. She has a .277 attack percentage, with 66 kills.
