NORMAN, Okla. (SMU) – SMU came up two points short in the fourth set, losing 3-1 at Oklahoma Saturday (25-23, 19-25, 19-25, 26-28).
Hannah Jacobs extended her double-digit kills streak to 10 matches with 13.
Mekenzi Heckmann scored a match-high 17 kills.
Trailing in the fourth set, 23-21, the Mustangs (7-3) scored with a kill by
Kendall Patterson followed by a Jacobs kill to tie the score. It was tied three more times as SMU fought off match point three times, but the Mustangs were unable to take the lead down the stretch. Oklahoma (8-3) posted its 14th block of the match for the 28-26 win.
Meryn Kennedy scored a season-high 10 kills and had three blocks. Freshman
Alex Glover had five of SMU's nine blocks, including a pair of solo blocks. SMU and OU each scored 59 kills, but SMU had eight more errors than the Sooners, including a difference of five in the blocks category.
Lily Heim finished with 47 kills and 16 digs for her sixth double-double of the season, while
Montana Watts had 19 digs.
Oklahoma took a 2-1 lead with a 25-19 win in the third set. Leading 15-13, the Sooners went on a run to stretch the advantage to 21-15. Trailing 24-16, SMU fought off three set points before the Sooners scored to end the threat.
SMU went on an 8-1 run at the end of the first set, winning 25-23 for the early advantage. The Mustangs scored the last four unanswered, including two blocks. After Heckmann scored a kill to give SMU the first and only attempt at set point, the freshman posted a solo block for the win. SMU trailed by as many as seven points as late as 16-9 before the late rally. It was an offensive surge that sparked the comeback, as SMU outscored OU 17-12 with a .351 attack percentage.
With the second set tied, 13-13, the Sooners began to pull away. Four unanswered OU points gave the Sooners a 19-14 lead, and the home team held on for a 25-19 win. The Oklahoma defense had just one more block in the set than SMU, 5-4, but the offense outscored the Mustangs 14-10.
The Mustangs begin American Athletic Conference action Friday night at Houston. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m.
