SAN MARCOS, Texas (SMU) – Lauren Mills scored 27 kills, tied for fifth all-time in a match at SMU, to lead the Mustangs to a 3-1 win (21-25, 25-23, 25-15, 25-20) against UTSA in the first match of the Creeds and Crests Classic at Texas State Friday afternoon.

Mills hit .292, committing just eight errors in 65 attempts, and also recorded 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the season. Rachel Giubilato set the SMU single-match record with 33 kills in a five-set match against Stephen F. Austin on Oct. 3, 2006. The 27 kills matches the SMU record for most kills in a four-set match, an achievement reached three other times, but not since Kelly Klecka scored 27 kills in a 3-1 win against TCU on Nov. 10, 2000.

SMU (4-3) ended the match with a 25-20 win in the fourth set. After UTSA (0-7) scored the first point, the Mustangs scored the next three and never trailed again. Mills scored kills on three straight SMU points, pushing the lead to 24-20. Eva Linden and Kelly Brunstein combined for a block on the first match point for the 25-20 win. The Roadrunners trailed by five, 18-13, but fought back to within one, 19-18. Brittany Adams and Mills scored back-to-back kills to push the lead back to three, 21-18, before the final run by SMU.

The Mustangs hit .204 as a team, scoring 58 kills. Adams also reached double-figures with 14 kills, while Lexi Nordmann scored six and Linded added five. Kendall Patterson also recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 36 assists and 16 digs. Montana Watts posted a match-high 27 digs.

The Mustangs cruised to a 25-15 win in the third set, taking a 2-1 lead in the match. Trailing 6-4, SMU scored six unanswered, capped off by an ace from Mills after a UTSA timeout for a 10-6 lead. The Roadrunners cut the lead to two, 11-9, but that was as close as they got. SMU scored the next eight point, taking a 19-9 lead that wasn't again challenged. Mills scored seven kills in the set, and SMU hit .286 with 13 kills, while UTSA scored only eight kills.

SMU scored five straight points while facing set point in the first, but the deficit was too large to overcome. UTSA had created an eight-point lead, 24-16, before its first chance to win the set. The SMU run featured two kills, two blocks and a setting error by the Roadrunners, but Antonela Jularic scored her fourth kill of the set for the 25-21 win. UTSA had 20 kills, hitting .378, while the Mustangs managed just 12 kills, four each by Mills and Adams, with a .200 attack percentage.

The Mustangs came back to win the second set, 25-23, overcoming a five-point deficit after UTSA took an 18-13 lead. After an attack error gave the Roadrunners the five-point lead, SMU scored five unanswered to tie the score, 18-18. UTSA rallied to score four of the next six for a 22-20 lead. Mills scored back-to-back kills for SMU to spark a 5-1 run, allowing SMU to even the match, 1-1. Mills finished the set with five kills, and SMU outscored UTSA 13-10 on the attack.

SMU takes on host Texas State Friday night at 7 p.m. before playing UMass-Lowell Saturday at 3 p.m.