The Seminole Invitational 
Tully Gymnasium- Tallahassee, Florida
SMU at Florida State I Friday, Sept. 1 I 5 p.m. (CT) I Live Stats I Watch
SMU vs. Auburn I Saturday, Sept. 2 I 12 p.m. (CT) I Live Stats
Match Notes (PDF)
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SETTING THE SCENE
-SMU continues its non-conference gauntlet at the Seminole Invitational hosted by Florida State Sept. 1-2. 
-The Mustangs face Florida State on Friday at 5pm CT. SMU will take on Auburn Saturday at noon CT. 
-Florida State is receiving votes in the 2023 AVCA Preseason Poll, and was picked fourth in the ACC Preseason Poll.
-Auburn is receiving votes in the 2023 AVCA Preseason Poll, and was picked seventh in the SEC Preseason Poll. 

A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
Florida State 
Florida State won each of its three matches at the Classic City Clash in Athens, Georgia, in three sets. The Seminoles won their season-opener 3-0 over Western Carolina. They took down Georgia 3-0 on Saturday and swept Connecticut to finish the weekend. Florida State was 19-11 in 2022, and was defeated by Northern Iowa 3-0 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. 

Auburn
Auburn enters the Seminole Invitational after three consecutive wins at the War Eagle Invitational. The Tigers took down Coppin State (3-1), McNeese State (3-0) and Jacksonville State (3-0). Auburn finished the 2022 season with a 22-9 record, including advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where the Tigers fell to Houston, 3-2.

ALL-TIME SERIES
•     Florida State (0-0)
    Friday will be the first meeting between the two programs.

•     Auburn  (2-2)
    SMU is 2-2 versus Auburn. SMU dropped the first-ever contest between the two programs, a 3-0 loss on Sept. 13, 1996. SMU won the next two matchups against the Tigers. SMU defeated Auburn 3-0 on Sept. 21, 2002, and 3-2 on Aug. 26, 2006. The Tigers won the most recent matchup, a 3-0 win on Sept. 8, 2012. 

LAST TIME OUT 
-SMU opened its 2023 campaign at the Ameritas Players Challenge hosted by the University of Nebraska.
-SMU picked up a dominating sweep over Lipscomb to start off the season. Three Mustang players registered at least five kills in a balanced offensive effort. On defense, SMU held Lipscomb to .085 on the day.
-SMU fell in a hard-fought match to Utah State 3-1, and was swept by Nebraska in the tournament finale. 

CLOTHIER MAKES HER RETURN
Graduate middle blocker Emma Clothier makes her return to Tallahassee after transferring to SMU in the spring. Clothier brought her talents to the Hilltop after a decorated career at Florida State. The Carrollton, Texas native was a four-time All-ACC and two-time All-American selection for the Seminoles.

HOT START FOR PERDUE
Natalie Perdue was named to the Ameritas Players Challenge All-Tournament Team for her performance on opening weekend. Perdue led the Mustangs' attack against No. 5 Nebraska, posting eight kills. The junior outside hitter recorded four digs and passed out two assists. In the season-opener, Perdue finished with two kills, three digs, and a block, and Utah State, Perdue notched four kills on an impressive .375 with as many digs on day two of the tournament.

SHIMEING STAR
SMU transfer outside hitter Naya Shime is off to a solid start in 2023. She recorded her first double-double of the season (17 kills, 14 digs) against Utah State. The senior tallied 30 kills in three matches at the Ameritas Players Challenge. 

PRESEASON PROWESS 
- SMU was picked to win the American Athletic Conference in the 2023 Preseason Coaches Poll.
-Junior outside hitter Jamison Wheeler was selected as the Preseason AAC Player of the Year. Graduate middle blocker Emma Clothier and senior setter Celia Cullen were also tabbed as Preseason All-Conference selections. 
-The Mustangs garnered the most points in the poll with 78 and picked up seven first-place votes, while Rice was second with 76 points and six first-place votes. 
-A 2022 First-Team All-AAC selection, Wheeler was selected as the conference's preseason player of the year after leading the Mustangs with 385 kills, averaging 3.41 kills per set last season. She totaled 1,051 attacks and 48 service aces, placing her second on the all-time single-season list in school history. Wheeler ranked second on the team with 292 digs and finished with 38 blocks.
-Cullen made the 2023 Preseason All-Conference team after earning a team-high 1148 assists, averaging 10.16 assists per game last season. The senior tallied 253 digs and recorded 41 kills and 18 service aces. Cullen was a Second-Team All-Conference selection in 2022. 
-Clothier brings her talents to the Hilltop as a graduate transfer after a decorated career at Florida State. The Carrollton, Texas native was a four-time All-ACC and two-time All-American selection.

BUILDING SOMETHING SPECIAL
-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 took over for Lisa Seifert, who started the program and holds the SMU record for most coaching wins across all sports (441), announced her retirement in January of 2022. 
-Erger completed her first season (2022) as head coach on the Hilltop with a 22-10 overall record. Selected fifth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Mustangs finished third with a 15-5 clip in league play. Marieke van der Mark and Jamison Wheeler earned All-AAC First Team honors, and Celia Cullen was named to the Second Team. It marked the first time since 2019 that two Mustangs garnered first-team honors. SMU collected the third most selections in the conference under Erger.
-Trent Sorensen is the Mustangs associate head coach. Christa Branson serves as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Clayton Bristow is a volunteer assistant coach. Brittany Clark serves as the director of operations, and Diego Aguilar is the Mustangs graduate assistant. 

28TH SEASON
SMU is in its 28th 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.

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

FRESH FACES
-The Mustangs welcome eight newcomers to the Hilltop, including six transfers and two freshmen. 
-Freshmen Hannah Whittingstall and Evan Glade  join the veteran-laden roster for 2023.
-Lauren Ohlinger (Boise State), Brooke Frazier (Texas A&M), Naya Shime (Wyoming), Anllelivis Fernandez (Miami Dade), Emma Clothier (Florida State) and Sina Uluave (Toledo) join the Mustangs as transfers. 

EXPERIENCE BACK ON THE HILLTOP
-Jamison Wheeler and Celia Cullen return to the lineup after securing All-Conference honors last season. SMU returns more valuable pieces, including Casey Battenhorst, Jentry Lamirand, Natalie Perdue, and Alex Glover.
-Wheeler was a first-team All-AAC selection after leading the Mustangs with 385 kills, 3.41 kills per set, 1,051 attacks and 48 service aces. The 48 aces placed her second on the all-time single-season list in school history.
-Cullen handed out 1,148 assists in her first season in Dallas, finishing in the Mustang annuals for assists in a campaign. She ranked second in the league in assists and 34th in the country, while her 10.16 assists per set placed second in the conference and 59th in Division I.
-Glover started 29 out of the Mustangs 30 matches last season and registered 139 kills, averaging 1.36 per set and held a team-high hitting percentage (.336).
-Perdue started 24 out of her 29 matches played last season and was second on the team in total points with 330.5, averaging 3.59 per set.

2022 RECAP
-The Mustangs finished their 2022 campaign with a 22-10 overall record. Selected fifth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Mustangs finished third with a 15-5 clip in league play. Three Mustangs garderned All-AAC honors. Marieke van der Mark and Jamison Wheeler earned first-team All-AAC honors, and Celia Cullen claimed second-team accolades. It marked the first time since 2019 that two Mustangs garnered first-team honors. SMU collected the third most selections in the conference under first-year head coach Sam Erger.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME 
-After leaving home to begin their collegiate career, Emma Clothier and Natalie Perdue returned home to play for SMU.
-Perdue (Dallas/Richardson HS) spent a year in Fayetteville, Ark., before choosing to play for the Mustangs. Perdue Started 24 matches, playing 92 sets in 29 matches last season and was second on the team in total points with 330.5, averaging 3.59 per set.
-Emma Clothier (Hebron HS) put together a decorated career at Florida State before coming home to play her last season for SMU. Clothier was named All-ACC second-team in 2022, and a 2021 AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. She was All-ACC First Team in 2020 and 2021 and to the 2019 All-ACC Freshman Team. 
-Jentry Lamirand (Decatur, Texas) enters her sophomore season after playing 85 sets in 27 matches while starting nine in 2022.

NO PRESSURE, NO DIAMONDS
-The Mustangs 11-match non-conference gauntlet features eight teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2022, including three who won at least one tournament match and four who reached the Sweet 16. Five teams on the docket received votes or finished in the AVCA top-25 rankings. 
-Nine of SMU's non-conference foes were ranked or received votes in the AVCA Top-25 Preseason Poll. 
-In-conference, the Mustangs host Rice in back-to-back matches in Moody Coliseum (Oct. 20 and 21). The Owls finished last season ranked 19th in the AVCA final top-25 rankings and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. 
-SMU is set to face 10 teams who finished in the top-50 in the NCAA RPI last season: Utah State (46), Nebraska (9), Florida State (30), Auburn (50), Baylor (16), Purdue (27), Kentucky (10)/Houston (18), LSU (48), Rice (15), Pepperdine (45). 

ON THE COURT, AND IN THE CLASSROOM 
The SMU volleyball team earned the United States Marine Corps (USMC) and American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award for the 2022-23 season. The award, initiated in the 1992–93 academic year, honors volleyball teams that maintain a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale. The Mustangs posted a cumulative GPA of 3.476 over the 2022-23 academic year. 

FOREIGN TOUR
-SMU volleyball embarked on the program's first ever foreign tour. The Mustangs completed a 10-day trip, May 21-30, that included stops throughout Greece and Italy.
-The Mustangs faced several international teams along the way. The tour began with four nights in Greece. While there, SMU faced Club Milon in Athens. The Mustangs visited the Acropolis and Plaka and  went sightseeing in Sounion and the island of Aegina.
-Next, SMU headed to Italy where they competed against Volleyro Roma and B1 team in Capannori.
-While in Italy, SMU visited the Colosseum and Roman Forum, along with stops at the Vatican and Trevi fountain, the region of Tuscany, and Lucca. The Mustangs closed out the tour with a match near Florence.

ALEX GLOVER- THE NIL SUMMIT 
This past fall, graduate student Alex Glover was presented with the opportunity to be a part of Meta's NIL Empower 2.0 NIL program — she was one of 30 female student-athletes across the nation.
The program provides student-athletes with a multitude of resources to help us amplify content creation efforts, specifically on Facebook and Instagram.
In addition to boosting their brands and helping prepare athletes for life after college, one of the advantages of being a part of Meta's NIL program was the chance to attend the 2023 NIL Summit in Atlanta just a few weeks ago in early June.
Meta was nominated for an award at the summit, so they invited the 30 student-athletes to Atlanta to meet each other face-to-face for the first time and continue to grow each other's brands and networks.
Glover was on a panel to speak on behalf of the Empower 2.0 program about content creation and storytelling.
"If there's anything I've learned within the past few years, it's that we have the capacity as student-athletes to write our own stories," graduate student-athlete Alex Glover said.  "Every single one of us is going to have to retire from our respective sports one day, but now more than ever, we have the ability to build our brand and set ourselves up for success once we graduate."

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.