DALLAS (SMU) – Sophomore Jamison Wheeler posted a double-double in both SMU wins at Moody Coliseum Friday.

The Mustangs finished day one of the 2022 DoubleTree Invitational unscathed, the only team not to suffer a setback in the event. They defeated DePaul in five sets (28-26, 25-21, 23-25, 25-27, 15-8) in the nightcap, after sweeping UC Irvine 3-0 (25-18, 29-27, 25-19) during the early session. Against DePaul, SMU moved out to a 2-0 advantage, but the Blue Demons evened things with victories in the next two sets.

Set 1: Despite hitting over .300, neither side pulled away or built a comfortable margin. The Mustangs led by as many as four at 17-13, while their largest deficit was one on five separate occasions. DePaul squandered a pair of opportunities to close out the game, serving with the lead at 25-24 and 26-25.

Set 2: SMU led wire-to-wire, jumping out to an early 6-1 cushion and withstood a late rally to grab a 2-0 advantage. The Mustangs registered 10 block assists and two sole rejections in the stanza.

Set 3: Trailing 23-20 and in danger of dropping the match in straight sets, DePaul rallied with five points in succession, including three via service ace. In another see-saw affair, the Blue Demons nudged in front by four, their largest cushion of the entire match at 12-8. A 15-7 spurt vaulted the home side in front and on the verge of their second sweep of the day.

Set 4: SMU appeared to pull out a 25-23 victory to take the set and the match, but a net violation nullified the last point and sent the teams into extras deadlocked at 24-24. The Blue Demons cashed in their third set point opportunity to force a fifth and final game.

Set 5: The Mustangs grabbed the early lead and carried an 8-6 advantage at side change, before rattling off seven of the final nine points to earn the victory.

Earlier in the day, Wheeler posted a double-double in the season opener, securing a 3-0 (25-18, 29-27, 25-19) sweep of UC Irvine in the 2022 DoubleTree Invitational at Moody Coliseum Friday.

Wheeler's 13 kills and 12 digs combined with a game-high 15 kills from Natalie Perdue and 10 more by Alex Glover aided the Mustangs' in securing the first win in Head Coach Sam Erger's career.

Set 1: The Mustangs captured the opening set 25-18, hitting .211 and holding UC Irvine to .056. Knotted at 11-11, freshman Jentry Lamirand found a whole in the defense and dropped in her first-career ace. SMU held the lead the rest of the way, pulling away late for the early advantage.

Set 2: Both offenses improved in the middle game, which featured 17 ties and nine lead changes. The Anteaters held their first set point of the afternoon when a successful attack by Dailey Darnell put the guest in front 24-23. Following a SMU timeout, a service error evened the score at 24-24. Wheeler slammed home an attack on the next service, but the home team was unable to close out the set. A pair of miscues from the service line thwarted each team's next advantage before a successful attack from London Austin-Roark and a forced error by UC Irvine pushed the lead out to 2-0.

Set 3: Looking to dispose of UC Irvine in straight sets, the Mustangs built a 16-10 cushion midway throw the game. After a 6-1 run trimmed the margin to one, SMU answered with a 9-3 spurt of its own to clinch the victory. The Mustangs hit .389 in the final game, converting 16 of their 36 attacks, while the defense turned up the heat, rejecting four attempts from the guest.

The Mustangs close the two-day tournament at 3 p.m. Saturday against SFA in Moody Coliseum.