#10 SMU (19-6, 11-3 ACC) vs. [RV] Miami (18-7, 9-5 ACC)
Friday, November 15, 2024 – 7 p.m. CT
Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
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#10 SMU (19-6, 11-3 ACC) vs. #22 Florida State (18-6, 10-4 ACC)
Sunday, November 17, 2024 – 1 p.m. CT
Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
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SETTING THE SCENE
• No. 10 SMU Volleyball welcomes [RV] Miami and No. 22 Florida State on Friday and Sunday. The matchups are two of the final three home games regular season games left this season and the last two of the Mustangs' four-game home stand.
• The Mustangs enter the weekend with an 11-3 record in the ACC and tied for third place in the conference standings with No. 7 Stanford.
• SMU Volleyball kept their No. 10 ranking after going 2-0 this past week with wins over Duke and No. 25 North Carolina.
• The Mustangs' win over the No. 25 Tar Heels was the team's fifth-ranked win of the season.
 
FIFTH-RANKED WIN
• The Ponies took down No. 25 North Carolina in four sets last time out, securing their fifth win over a ranked opponent this season.
• With an ace in the first set against North Carolina, Natalie Foster broke SMU volleyball's single-season record, passing Caroline Young, who had 51 aces in 2013. Maya Tabron and Jamison Wheeler also reached milestones against the Tar Heels, eclipsing 1,000 career digs.
• Wheeler led the match with 16 kills, her ninth 10+ kill outing this season, hitting .429, while adding eight digs.
•  Celia Cullen dished out 42 assists against the Tar Heels, and Foster finished the match with seven kills while hitting .357 with two aces.
• SMU out-blocked the Tar Heels 12-10 and won the serving battle 5-3.
• The Mustangs edged out North Carolina in hitting percentage, .264 to .248. 
 
JOINING ELITE COMPANY
• Senior outside hitter Jamison Wheeler reached 1,000 digs in the win over No. 25 North Carolina.
• Wheeler surpassed 1,000 career kills earlier in the season against Clemson.
• She is just the seventh SMU player to log 1,000 career digs and kills.
 
1. Erin Pryer (1789 K/1238 D) – 1996-99
2. Klecka (1311 K/1097 D) – 1997-2000
3. Beth Karasek (1450 K/1416 D) – 2001-04
4. Rachel Giubilato (1310 K/1155 D) – 2004-07
5. Kathryn Wilkerson (1445 K/1588 D) – 2007-10
6. Dana Powell (1539 K/1641 D) – 2008-11
7. Jamison Wheeler (1096 K/1001 D) – 2021-24
 
ACE QUEENS
• Natalie Foster has been a game-changer for the Mustangs at the service line.
• Foster now holds SMU's single season ace record with 53 and counting this season, passing Caroline Young, who had 51 back in 2013.
 
TOP 5 SINGLE-SEASON ACE LEADERS
1. 53 – Natalie Foster - 2024
2. 51 - Caroline Young -2013
3. 48 - Jamison Wheeler - 2022
4. 47 - Caroline Young - 2014
T-5. 46 - Melissa Godwin - 1999
T-5. 46 - Melisa Godwin - 1997
 
TWO-HEADED MONSTER
• Naya Shime (12th) and Maya Tabron (19th) lead the Mustangs and are both top 20 in the ACC in kills per set.
• Shime (12th) is also in the top 15 in the conference in points per set, averaging 4.08 points per set.
• The tandem has a combined 35 double-digit kill performances this season.
 
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
• The Hurricanes bring an 18-7 record into the weekend and a 9-5 mark in the ACC.
• Miami swept NC State, beat Wake Forest in four sets last week, and are on a four-game win streak.
• Last season, the Hurricanes went 18-12 overall and 10-8 in ACC play. Miami earned an NCAA Tournament berth and won their first match against UNI 3-1 before being swept by the top seed Wisconsin in the second round.
• #22 Florida State is 18-6 on the season entering the weekend and 10-4 in conference play.
• The Seminoles went 2-0 last week, defeating Wake Forst 3-0 and NC State 3-1.
• Last season, Florida State was ACC Co-Champions with Pitt after going 16-2 in conference play and 23-9 overall.
• The Seminoles dropped their first-round matchup of the NCAA Tournament to TCU in a four-set match in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
• Miami won the only matchup between the two programs in 2004 in straight sets. 
• SMU swept Florida State in Tallahassee last season in the first meeting between the two programs.  
 
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.
 
PONIES IN THE RANKINGS
• SMU held the No. 10 spot in the latest AVCA/TARAFLEX Poll.
• 10th is the highest ranking in program history.
• The Ponies are the fourth highest-ranked team in the ACC and are one of six teams representing the conference in the top 25.
• The Mustangs are 5-4 against teams currently in the rankings or receiving votes.
 
RPI & KPI
• SMU is ranked 9th in this week's RPI rankings, fourth highest in the ACC, and highest in program history.
• The Mustangs are 9-6 against opponents currently in the top 50 and 10-6 against teams in the top 100.
• In KPI, the Mustangs are 10th and fourth highest in the ACC.
 
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 four highest single-match attendance records in program history this season. SMU had 6,673 people in attendance in their win over No. 2 Nebraska, 3,015 in the four-set loss to No. 4 Louisville, 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).
• The Mustangs season attendance for this season is 23,913, a 148% increase from last season.
 
MUSTANGS CHASING MILESTONES
• Libero Ellie Bolton needs 15 digs to reach 1,000 for her career.
• Setter Celia Cullen needs 80 digs to reach the 1,000 career digs.
 
NATIONAL NUMBERS
• The Mustangs are ranked in the top 50 nationally in six categories entering the weekend.
• SMU ranks 19th in hitting percentage (.276), 20th in blocks per set (2.62), 38th in M-winning percentage (.760), 40th in aces per set (1.79), 43rd in opponent hitting percentage (.175), and 48th in total blocks (233).
• Individually, Natalie Foste ranks eighth in the country and second in the ACC in aces per set first. Her 53 aces are first in the conference and 10th in the country. She is also third in the conference and 38th in the nation in hitting percentage (.391).
• Celia Cullen currently ranks first in the conference in total assists with 884 and third in assists per set this season at 9.93.