SMU Volleyball Homestand Continues With Cal On Sunday

#12 SMU (13-5, 5-2 ACC) vs. Cal (10-9, 2-5 ACC)
Sunday, October 20, 2024 – 1 p.m. CT
Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
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SETTING THE SCENE
• No. 12 SMU Volleyball looks to bounce back after a tight straight-set loss to No. 5 Stanford on Wednesday, as they host fellow ACC newcomer Cal on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
• The Mustangs enter Sunday's match with a 5-2 record in the ACC and tied for fifth in the standings. 
• Sunday's matchup is the third of five straight home matches at Moody.
 
AMONG THE NATIONS BEST
• Graduate students Celia Cullen and Naya Shime have been added to the 2024 Division I AVCA Player of the Year Award Watch List, announced by the association on Friday. Cullen and Shime have been instrumental to the Mustangs' historic success this season.
• Last month, the AVCA created a Watch List for its 2024 Division I Player of the Year Award, presented by Nike Volleyball. Friday, the association added 16 players to the original list of 36, with Cullen and Shime being two of the 16.
• The 2024 Watch List will be narrowed down in early November, and then the names of the finalists will be released before the AVCA Convention in mid-December. The 2024 AVCA Player of the Year will be announced on Friday, Dec. 20, in Louisville, Ky., during the AVCA Convention.
 
'STANGS ON THE BIG SCREEN
• The Mustang's match against No. 4 Louisville on Sunday, Oct. 27, at Moody Coliseum has been moved up to noon CT and will now be televised on ESPN
• It will be the SMU Volleyball program's first-ever game on ESPN.
• It is also one of five linear games for the SMU Volleyball still season.
 
PONIES ON THE RISE
• SMU moved up three spots in this week's AVCA Poll to No. 12, the highest ranking in program history.
• SMU jumped two spots last week to No. 15 after wins over Boston College and Syracuse.
• For the first time in program history, SMU Volleyball was ranked by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA), coming in at No. 22 on the Sept. 16th edition of the poll.
 
GAME CHANGER
• Natalie Foster has truly been a game changer for the Mustangs at the service line.
• Foster leads the team in aces with 42 and is ten away from becoming the program single-season leader, passing Caroline Young, who had 51 back in 2013.
 
CROWN THE QUEEN
• SMU graduate middle blocker Nnedi Okammor set a career-high in blocks Saturday against Pitt, finishing the match with 12.
• Twelve blocks are tied for the sixth most in program history for a single match.
• She also set a season-high in kills with eight against Pitt.
• Okammor has been one of the most dominant middles in the ACC, ranking fourth in total blocks (75) and seventh in blocks per set (1.23) in the conference.
 
NCAA RPI
• The NCAA released its second RPI rankings of the 2024 season on Monday, and the Mustangs have moved up to No. 9, the program's highest RPI ranking.
• The Mustangs moved up two spots from the first RPI rankings of the season last week.
• SMU is 4-3 against opponents currently in the top 25 in RPI and is 7-4 versus teams in the top 50.
 
EXPERIENCE GROUP
• SMU has won one of the country's oldest, most experienced rosters this season.
• The Mustangs have seven graduate students, two seniors, two juniors, and just three freshmen.
• The only other school with nine graduate students/seniors is the College of Charleston, which has four seniors and five graduates.
 
ATTENDANCE RECORDS
• SMU has set the three highest match attendance records in program history this season. SMU had 6,673 people in attendance in their win over No. 2 Nebraska, 2,317 in their five-set win over No. 1 Pitt, and 1,883 in their 3-1 victory over Houston.
• With an attendance of 2,317 against No. 1 Pitt, SMU Volleyball broke the previous single-season record set in 2019 (10,890 in 13 home games). SMU still has eight guaranteed home matches left on their schedule.
 
MUSTANGS CHASING MILESTONES
• Jamison Wheeler needs 38 digs to reach 1,000 digs for her career.
• Graduate Setter Celia Cullen needs 122 digs to reach the 1,000 career digs. Cullen also needs 17 more assists to reach 3,000 assists at SMU.
• With 41 more digs, Ellie Bolton will join the 1,000-career dig club.
• Maya Tabron looks to collect 69 more digs by the end of the year to reach the 1,000-dig mark in her career.
 
NATIONAL NUMBERS
• The Mustangs are ranked in the top 50 in five categories entering Sunday's battle.
• SMU ranks 21st in the country in hitting percentage (.274), 31st in blocks per set (2.65), 33rd in aces per set (.1.83), 34th in total blocks (172), and 49th opponent hitting percentage (.174).
• Individually, Natalie Foster has been a weapon at the service line, ranking sixth in the country and first in the ACC in aces with 42 this season. Her 0.65 aces per set is good for 78h best in the nation and sits second among conference players.
• Celia Cullen currently ranks first in the conference in total assists with 628 and third in assists per set this season at 9.66.
 
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS:
Cal
• Cal brings a 10-9 record into Moody Coliseum this weekend and is 2-5 in ACC play.
• Last season under first-year head coach Jen Malcom went 16-15 and 5-15 in the Pac-12.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES:
Cal
• Sunday's match will be just the second meeting between the two programs.
• Cal swept the Mustangs in the only other matchup in 2002.