VB Set To Compete at the Islanders Classic

Friday, September 2

Corpus Christi, Texas

10:30 A.M.

SMU

Sam Houston

VB Set To Compete at the Islanders Classic

Sep 1 | Volleyball

SMU Match Notes Indiana Match Notes Updated Stats Follow on Twitter

SMU (2-1) at Islanders Classic | Corpus Christi, Texas | Hosted by Texas A&M – Corpus Christi
Friday vs. Sam Houston, 10:30 a.m. | Live Stats
Friday vs. Indiana 4 p.m. | Live Stats
Saturday at Texas A&M - Corpus Christi 1 p.m. | ESPN+ | Live Stats
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DALLAS (SMU) – SMU embarks on its first road trip of the season, traveling to Corpus Christi, Texas for the Islanders Classic, hosted by Texas A&M Corpus Christi Friday and Saturday.

The Mustangs (2-1) open the tournament against Sam Houston (1-2) Friday at 10:30 a.m., before taking on Indiana (2-1) at 4 p.m. SMU's final game is Saturday at 1 p.m. against the Islanders.

KEY STORY LINES
NEW CREW
• Sam Erger was named the second head coach in the program's history Feb. 2, 2022, after spending the previous eight years at Baylor, including the last two as associate head coach.
• Erger named Trent Sorensen associate head coach and Benjamin Bahr assistant coach in February.
• Sorensen spent the previous seven seasons in Manhattan, Kan., as an assistant coach with the Kansas State volleyball team.
• Bahr served as technical supervisor for the U.S. Women's National Team Open Tryouts in 2020 and as a volunteer video analyst while studying at Iowa.

FRESH Faces
• The Mustangs welcome eight newcomers to the Hilltop, including six transfers and two freshmen.
• Freshmen Casey Batenhorst and Jentry Lamirand join the veteran-laden roster.
• Celia Cullen (Michigan State) and Marieke van der Mark (Baylor) transferred to SMU without ties to the Metroplex.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME
• After leaving home to begin their collegiate career, London Austin-Roark, Kristen Leland, Natalie Perdue and Tatum Ticknor returned home after beginning their careers elsewhere.
• Austin-Roark (Weatherford, Texas/Weatherford HS) made 79 appearances in four seasons in for Texas A&M.
• Kristen Leland (Dallas/Episcopal School of Dallas) played in 86 games for the Cavaliers before leaving Charlottesville, Va.
• Perdue (Dallas/Richardson HS) spent a year in Fayetteville, Ark., before choosing to return home.
• Ticknor (Grapevine, Texas/Colleyville Heritage HS) registered 2,077 digs for Arkansas State in four seasons

27TH SEASON
• SMU is in its 27th season of NCAA competition. Former Head Coach Lisa Seifert started the program in 1995, with the Mustangs finishing the inaugural season of competition with a mark of 7-24 in 1996. In 1999, SMU celebrated its first winning season with a 20-13 record. The Mustangs competed as an independent the first two seasons before moving to the Western Athletic Conference in 1998. From 2004-2012, SMU played in Conference USA before moving to the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2013 campaign.

REPLACING A LEGEND
• Lisa Seifert, who started the program and holds the SMU record for most coaching wins across all sports, announced her retirement in January. She posted 15 seasons with a winning percentage of .500 or higher, including eight of her final 10 seasons. Her teams won at least 20 games eight times, including five-straight from 2013-2019. The 2015 squad posted a school-best in wins and winning percentage with a mark of 27-6 (.818).

1. Lisa Seifert (Volleyball)                                      441
2. Rhonda Rompola (Women's Basketball)              439
3. Carl Neufeld (Men's Tennis)                                 420

FILLING THE TROPHY CASE
Over the past seven seasons, SMU 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.

TOP OF THE CLASS
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 and 2016; UCF- 2014, 2018, 2019, 2021.)

ALL-TIME SERIES
•    Sam Houston (5-0)
     The first meeting between these two squads occurred Sept. 12, 1997, resulting in a 3-1 win by the Mustangs.
     SMU swept the last meeting a neutral site affair in Fort Worth at the TCU Invitational.
•    Indiana (0-1)
     The lone contest between the Mustangs and the Hoosiers were a 3-0 setback in Bloomington, Ind., Sept. 16, 2006.
•    Texas A&M Corpus Christi (2-0)
     SMU is a perfect 2-0 against the Islanders, sweeping both matches 3-0. The first was Sept. 1, 2012, at the TCU Invitational in Fort Worth, while the last meeting closed out the 2017 SMU DoubleTree Invitational Aug. 26, 2017.

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Sam Houston
• The Bearkats are off to a roller coaster ride, alternating wins and losses through their first four matches. They fell 3-0 to K-State in the opener of the K-State Invitational but rallied to end day one at 1-1 with a 3-1 victory over Florida A&M. They ended the event with a five-set loss to NC State and swept Prairie View A&M in the Kats home opener Tuesday.
• Madison Dyer leads the team with 47 kills and 16 blocks. Hannah Baker paces the squad with 67 digs, while Avery Fowler is the primary distributor on offense with 85 assists.

Indiana
• The Hoosiers went 2-1 in their Indiana Invitational opening weekend, earning 3-0 sweeps over in-state rival Indiana State and Chicago State, before being swept by Jacksonville State in the tournament finale.
• Mady Saris registered 39 kills on 108 attempts, both are most on the team.
• Camryn Haworth is the primary setter, recording 86 over the nine games, averaging 9.6 per contest. Her 37 digs rank first on the squad, while Paula Cerame collected 24 and Isa Lopez added 20.
• Savannah Kjolhede and Candela Alonso-Corcelles share the team lead with three blocks each.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi
• The Islanders are winless in four tries, dropping the first six sets opening weekend at the Ameritas Players Challenge, hosted by Nebraska. Preseason No. 1, Nebraska earned a three-set sweep in the opener, followed by Pepperdine duplicating the feat. After falling in the first game of the finale against Tulsa, the Islanders claimed victories in the second and fourth to force a fifth and deciding set but fell in extra points, 17-15.
• They held a 2-1 advantage over UTRGV in Edinburg, Texas, Tuesday but dropped the final two games to move their record to 0-4.
• Kyndal Payne and Leah Stoulfus fuel the offense with 47 and 40 kills, respectively.
• Carissa Barnes collected 99 digs in four matches, twice as many as second on the team, Payne.
• Faith Panhans facilitates the offense, recording 149 assists, while Barnes four service aces are the most of any Islander.
• Tayah Little is the only member of the team in double figures in blocks with 11.

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 provides 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.