SMU (10-10, 6-4 AAC) vs. Cincinnati (12-6, 7-3 AAC)
Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum
Friday, October 29, 2021 – 7:00 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats
 
SMU (10-10, 6-4 AAC) vs. ECU (8-11, 4-6 AAC)
Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum
Sunday, October 31, 2021 – 1:00 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats
SMU NOTES (PDF)
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PREVIEW
SMU continues its four-game home stand this weekend by hosting Cincinnati and ECU. The Mustangs host the Bearcats on Friday, October 29 at 7:00 p.m. On Sunday, October 31 SMU will then turn its attention to the Pirates at 1:00 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.   
SMU NOTES
SMU is coming off a 1-1 homestand falling to UCF 0-3 before taking down USF 3-1 inside Moody Coliseum.

Bria' Merchant was the latest Mustang to be named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll. Merchant finished third in The American with 4.43 digs for 1-1 SMU; tallied 14 digs and three assists in three sets against UCF (Oct. 22) and contributed 17 digs, two aces and four assists in a four-set win over South Florida (Oct. 24).

Outside hitter Rachel Woulfe turned in a signature performance and was named AAC Offensive Player of the Week in a 2-0 in Week 8. Woulfe hit .464 with 15 kills in a win at Houston on Oct. 15 and added 22 kills on .413 hitting in five sets at Tulane on Oct. 17 to earn conference offensive player of the week honors.

Kaylyn Winkler ranks first in conference only matches with a .449 hitting percentage.  SMU sits second in hitting percentage (.262) and first in kills (14.34) against AAC foes. Bria' Merchant is third in the conference with a 4.24 digs/set.

Alex 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).

Rachel Woulfe leads the Mustangs with 215 kills. Hannah Jacobs ranks second on the team with 214 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 255 and 214, 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
Cincinnati (9-4)
The Bearcats took the first meeting this season 3-1 in Cincinnati on October 3. The Bearcats were led by a double-double from Maria Mallon, who registered 15 kills and 14 digs on the day. Shannon Williams also added 15 kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Emme Madden chipped in for UC with 11 digs to go with two blocks from Abby Walker.

Jadyn Bauss tied her season-high with 14 kills. Three Mustangs hit double-figures in digs and SMU equaled its season-best with 55 assists on the afternoon.

ECU (16-5)
SMU swept ECU 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-15) on October 1 to begin its first conference road trip. The Mustangs extended their win streak to four games after stifling the Pirates offense all match long holding ECU to a .092 hitting percentage. Meanwhile the Mustangs hit .307 along with 48 kills and 10 block assists. Jadyn Bauss completed her third double-double on the season with 10 kills and 12 digs. Rachel Woulfe notched a game-high 11 kills, while Hannah Jacobs added 10 more.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Cincinnati
Cincinnati moved up to 51^st in the RPI and now rank 10th in the NCAA with 13.14 assists per set. Cincinnati also ranks first in the conference in assists (13.14) and kills (13.90) on the season.
 
Maria Mallon earned her second straight weekly honor roll recognition for her weekend performance last week. She recorded 16 kills 16 kills and 16 digs against Houston (Oct. 22) and hit .346 with 11 kills and 12 digs in a sweep of Tulane (Oct. 24), recording back to back double-doubles for the second straight weekend. She ranked sixth in The American with 4.00 digs per set and eighth with 4.21 points per set for Cincinnati in a 1-1 weekend.
 
ECU
East Carolina scored the upset of the American Athletic Conference volleyball season last Sunday afternoon, rallying from a two-set deficit to stun second-place Houston in five sets (24-26, 17-25, 25-22, 25-18, 15-9) in Greenville.
Sydney Kleinman leads the Pirates with 164 kills on the season, while Natalie Tyson has the second-most with 154. Tia Shum has been a force defensively notching 238 digs on the season.   

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
Hemsley | 41 assists, 21 digs Hemsley | 41 assists, 16 digs vs. USF vs. Houston
Hemsley | 51 assists, 17 digs vs. Tulane

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) 433
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 hit the road for four-straight matches. The Mustangs will begin the road trip at Memphis on Wednesday, November 3 at 1:00 p.m. on ESPN+.