SMU (7-7, 3-1 AAC) vs. Tulsa (7-6, 2-2 AAC)
Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum     
Friday, October 8, 2021 – 7:00 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats
 
SMU (7-7, 3-1 AAC) vs. Wichita State (7-6, 1-3 AAC)
Dallas, Texas | Moody Coliseum     
Sunday, October 10, 2021 – 12:00 p.m. CT
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats
SMU NOTES (PDF)
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PREVIEW
SMU is back home to host Tulsa on Friday, October 8 at 7:00 p.m. On Sunday, October 10 the Mustangs will take on Wichita State inside Moody Coliseum beginning at 12:00 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on ESPN+.

SMU NOTES
SMU is coming off a 1-1 conference road trip last weekend. The Mustangs swept ECU in straights sets (3-0) before falling to Cincinnati in four sets (1-3).  Alex Glover earned the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week. 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. 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 141 kills and 2.82 kills/set. Rachel Woulfe ranks second on the team with 140 kills. Lily Heim leads the team with 496 assists and ranks first in conference only matches among all AAC setters with a 11.36 assists per set mark. Makayla Miller and Bria' Merchant rank first and second in digs with 159 and 142, 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
Tulsa (30-18)
SMU currently holds a six-game winning streak against the Golden Hurricane. The Mustangs gathered two straight-set sweeps over Tulsa in Dallas this past spring. Jacobs was an offensive force in both matches versus Tulsa, helping SMU take down the Golden Hurricane in straight sets. She averaged 5.75 points per set to rank second and hit .339 to rank eighth in The American for the week. Jacobs hit. 308 with 19 kills, four digs and three block assists in a three-set win over Tulsa on March 12. She closed the series hitting .391 with 13 kills in a sweep of the Golden Hurricane on March 13.

Wichita State (6-5)
SMU split its two matches with the Shockers last spring in Wichita. The Mustangs salvaged a 3-2 win after falling the day before 1-3. In the victory SMU overcame a 0-2 hole and came all the way back to stun Wichita State. Before that loss last spring, SMU had won four straight matches against the Shockers dating back to 2018. The Mustangs own two 3-0 sweeps over the Shockers in this series.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Tulsa
Tulsa opened up their home American Athletic Conference schedule against South Florida and UCF. The Golden Hurricane knocked off South Florida in four sets before dropping to UCF in four sets

Tulsa ranks 10th in the country with 17.61 digs per set. Tulsa returns all seven starters from last year's team, including junior Kayley Cassadey who led the team with 112 kills last season.

The Golden Hurricane return 11 letterwinners and add three freshmen; Rachel Brown, Marta Pecalli and Bailey Rowe. Cassaday continues to pace Tulsa, leading the squad with 185 kills, 3.85 per set (2nd-most in the AAC).

Tulsa beat Houston in five sets, but fell to Tulane 0-3 to begin AAC play. The Golden Hurricane picked up non-conference victories over UT Arlington, North Texas, Oral Roberts, Central Arkansas, and SIU.

Wichita State
Kayce Litzau guided Wichita State to the third-best conference hitting percentage for the week at .249 and ranked third individually with 10.75 assists per set; logged 51 assists and 14 digs in a five-set thriller with UCF (Oct. 1) and contributed 35 assists in a sweep of South Florida (Oct. 3). Litzau secured the AAC honor roll after this big weekend.

The Shockers rank third in the conference in both digs per set (16.04) and opponent hitting percentage (.193).

Lily Liekweg leads the team with 4.62 digs per set and ranks third in the AAC with that clip.

WSU swept South Florida 3-0 last Sunday, but fell to UCF in five sets at home two days prior. The Shockers also fell to Houston and Tulane in conference opening weekend.

The Shockers secured non-conference victories over Missouri State, UT Martin, Arkansas State, Kent State, Delaware, and South Dakota.  

DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Heim | 37 assists, 12 digs vs. North Carolina
Heim | 46 assists, 12 digs at Rice
Bauss | 12 kills, 14 digs vs. 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

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 hit the road to visit Houston on Friday, October 15 at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.