SMU (7-9, 3-3 AAC) at Houston (15-3, 5-1 AAC)
Houston, Texas | Fertitta Center
Friday, October 15, 2021 – 7:00 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats
 
SMU (7-9, 3-3 AAC) at Tulane (11-7, 4-2 AAC)
New Orleans, Louisiana | Avron B. Fogelman Arena In The Devlin Fieldhouse
Sunday, October 17, 2021 – 1:00 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats
SMU NOTES (PDF)
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PREVIEW
SMU travels to take on two conference opponents this weekend. The Mustangs first take on Houston on Friday, October 15 at 7:00 p.m. SMU will then turn its attention to Tulane on Sunday, October 17 at 1:00 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.  

SMU NOTES
SMU is coming off a 0-2 conference home weekend. The Mustangs fell to Tulsa (0-3) and dropped a five-set matchup versus Wichita State. SMU leads the league in hitting percentage (.264), assists per set (13.05), and kills per set (14.59), among conference only stats. Alex Glover ranks atop the league with 1.36 blocks per set in conference play.

Glover earned the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week (Week 6). Glover continued a recent run of good form for a 1-1 weekend, leading The American with 1.71 blocks per set and finishing second with a .481 hitting percentage among all conference players. Glover hit an impressive .667 with eight kills and five total blocks (one solo) in a sweep of East Carolina on Oct. 1. Glover turned in seven kills and a .333 hitting percentage with three digs and seven block assists in four sets at Cincinnati on Oct. 3.

Lily Heim was named to the AAC Weekly honor roll (Week 6). Heim played a key role for SMU in leading the conference in team hitting percentage (.279) and was the league leader in assists per set with 12.43; registered 39 assists and seven digs in a sweep at East Carolina (Oct. 1) and logged 48 assists and 11 digs in four sets at Cincinnati (Oct. 3).

Hannah Jacobs leads the Mustangs with 164 kills and 2.83 kills/set. Rachel Woulfe ranks second on the team with 161 kills. Lily Heim leads the team with 572 assists and ranks second in conference only matches in the AAC with a 10.68 assists per set mark. Makayla Miller and Bria' Merchant rank first and second in digs with 182 and 180, respectively.

The Mustangs were picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.

Jacobs was named to the AAC Week 1 Honor Roll after posting the second-most points per set (4.35) in the conference during a 2-1 SMU weekend; hit .611 with 13 kills in a sweep of Pacific (Aug. 27) and added 11 kills on .400 hitting later in the day against Stephen F. Austin (Aug. 27). Jacobs and Lily Heim were named to the All-Tournament team after a stellar opening weekend. Lily Heim was later named to the Bluejay Invitational All-Tournament team.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Houston (23-18)
UH has taken four of the last five matchups. This past spring the Cougars took both matches in Dallas (3-0, 3-2). SMU dropped a heart-breaking 3-2 (25-20, 25-21, 22-25, 23-25, 23-21) match against Houston in the second match. The Mustangs fell behind 2-0, but battled all the way back to force a fifth set. Jadyn Bauss had nine kills in the third set to keep the Mustangs alive. SMU forced the Cougars to earn the game with a back-and-forth clash in the final set.

SMU's last win in Houston came in 2016.

Tulane (14-18)
The Green Wave have won five of the last six meetings against the Mustangs. SMU did defeat Tulane last spring 3-1 in Dallas earning a season split.
SMU was led by another double-double by Bauss who finished with 14 kills and 13 digs in that matchup. Bauss also had a career-high three assists and three block assists. Kaylyn Winkler matched her career-high with seven total blocks. SMU was tough at the net and notched a season-best 14 total blocks.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Houston
Following a loss in five sets to Tulsa to open conference play on Sept. 24, Houston has won five consecutive league matches to race to the front of the line in The American at 5-1.

Houston ranks 45^th in the latest NCAA RPI list. The Cougars also rank eighth in the NCAA in service aces with 134, while Kate Georgiades sits fourth in the NCAA in total digs (381).

Georgiades was named conference player of the week. She maintained a steady role as a force in the center of the Houston defense as the Cougars vaulted into a share of the conference's top spot at 5-1. Georgiades led The American with 5.22 digs per set in a road sweep in the state of Florida. Georgiades logged 19 digs, a service ace and three assists for the Cougars in a five-set win at previously unbeaten UCF on Oct. 8. Georgiades closed the weekend with 28 digs and six helpers in a four-set win at South Florida on Oct. 10.

Abbie Jackson was named to the conference weekly honor roll. Jackson registered 5.06 points per set to rank second in The American and chipped in 3.22 digs per set for Houston on the road; compiled 20 kills, four aces, two block assists and 11 digs in a win at UCF (Oct. 8) and had 16 kills, five total blocks and 18 digs in a four-set win at South Florida (Oct. 10).

The Cougars are only allowing a .148 hitting percentage against its AAC opponents on the season, which is the best clip in the American. Rachel Tullos is the best among all conference players in league play with a .470 hitting percentage. Jackson also leads all AAC players with a 4.29 kills per set average. UH was voted to finish second in the AAC preseason coaches' poll.

TULANE
The Green Wave are coming off a 1-1 road trip. Tulane took down USF 3-2 before falling to UCF 1-3 last weekend. Tulane fell to Houston 1-3, but has taken care of the rest of its AAC opponents.

The Tulane volleyball team was predicted to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference in a vote by the league's coaches.

Tulane owns the AAC's second best hitting percentage at .234. Freshman Michelle Urquhart leads the AAC in aces per set at .48 and total aces with 30.

Prior to conference play, the Green Wave picked up wins over Northwestern State, Alabama A&M, California, Samford, ULM, Saint Louis, and UAB.

Head Coach Jim Barnes has been at the helm of the Tulane program for 786 matches in his career.

Lexie Douglas and Kayla Dinkins both were named to the AAC Preseason All-Conference Team

DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Heim | 37 assists, 12 digs vs. North Carolina
Heim | 46 assists, 12 digs at Rice
Bauss | 12 kills, 14 digs at TCU
Bauss | 11 kills, 11 digs vs. Memphis
Heim | 29 assists, 10 digs vs. Memphis
Bauss | 11 kills, 11 digs vs. Temple
Heim | 43 assists, 14 digs. vs. Temple
Bauss | 10 kills, 4 digs at ECU
Heim | 48 assists, 11 digs at Cincinnati
Heim | 40 assists, 14 digs vs. Tulsa
Wheeler 16 kills, 10 digs vs. Wichita State

BOLD: Big Opportunities Live in Dallas
As part of its goal of Shaping Champions and preparing students for life, SMU Athletics proudly announces the addition of its BOLD (Big Opportunities Live in Dallas) Program to its suite of student-athlete development tools, with the goal of helping student-athletes navigate and capitalize on new Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) legislation. BOLD will provide SMU student-athletes with the means to navigate the evolving NIL landscape. The BOLD program will incorporate INFLCR, a comprehensive NIL education and compliance solution, and campus resources from the Cox School of Business, the Dedman School of Law, and the Meadows School of the Arts.

ANOTHER MILESTONE
With the victory over Tulane on March 5, 2021, Head Coach Lisa Seifert moved up the rankings and is now second all-time - across all sports - in wins at SMU.
1. Rhonda Rompola (Women's Basketball) 439
2 Lisa Seifert (Volleyball) 430
3. Carl Neufeld (Men's Tennis) 420

26TH SEASON
SMU is in its 26th season of NCAA competition. The SMU volleyball program was started in 1995 by current head coach Lisa Seifert. The Mustangs went 7-24 in 1996, its inaugural season. In 1999, SMU celebrated its first winning season with a 20-13 record. The Mustangs have played in the Western Athletic Conference, Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference.
Of the 11 current members, SMU is the only program without a losing record in league matches during at least one season. The Mustangs and UCF are the only two programs with multiple conference titles. (SMU-2015, 2016; UCF-2014, 2018, 2019, 2020).

FILLING THE TROPHY CASE
Over the past seven seasons, SMU has added four team trophies to the case, along with seven individual top league awards. SMU won The American championship in 2015 and 2016, and the west division crown in 2019. Avery Acker was named Setter of the Year in 2013. She added Player of the Year and another Setter of the Year in 2015. Kendall Patterson was Freshman of the Year in 2016, when Morgan Heise earned her second Libero of the Year honor. Lily Heim was named Setter of the Year in 2019.

UP NEXT
SMU will host UCF on Friday, October 22 at 7:00 p.m. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.