#10 SMU (21-6, 13-3 ACC) vs. NC State (14-10, 9-7 ACC)
Friday, November 22, 2024 – 6 p.m. CT
Neal Reynolds Coliseum – Raleigh, N.C.
ACCNX | Live Stats 

#10 SMU (21-6, 13-3 ACC) vs. Wake Forest (13-14, 5-11 ACC)
Sunday, November 24, 2024 – 11 a.m. CT
Reynolds Coliseum – Winston Salem, N.C.
ACCNX | Live Stats 
 
SMU Notes | Visiting Notes
Instagram | X | Facebook
SMU Mobile App | Game Promotions
Get the ACC Network | ACC Network FAQs

SETTING THE SCENE
• No. 10 SMU Volleyball will hit the road for three straight, starting with NC State on Friday and Wake Forest on Sunday.
• The Mustangs enter the weekend with a 13-3 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 a 3-1 win over [RV] Miami and a sweep against No. 22 Florida State.
• The Mustangs' win over the No. 22 Seminoles was the team's sixth-ranked win of the season and ninth in program history.
• SMU is on their second longest winning streak of the season winning six straight matches. The Ponies had a seven-game winning streak earlier in the season from Sept. 14 to Oct. 6
 
OH, HOW SWEEP IT IS
• The Mustangs have swept 13 opponents this season, eight over ACC teams and four over ranked opponents.
• 13 sweeps this season are tied for the fifth most in program history.
 
MOST SWEEPS IN A SEASON
1. 19 – 2023
T-2. 16 – 2015
T-2. 16 – 2016
4. 14 – 2022
T-5. 13 – 2013
T-5. 13 – 2024
 
FOSTER TABBED ACC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• SMU middle blocker Natalie Foster has been named ACC Defensive Player of the Week, the conference office announced on Monday.
• Foster led the ACC in total blocks and blocks per set this week, averaging 2.00 per set with 14 overall in the Mustangs' two wins over [RV] Miami and #22 Florida State.
• The Mattawan, Michigan native is up to eight matches with five or more blocks this season. On top of her blocks, Foster added 12 kills and five aces.
• Foster is the third Mustang to win ACC defensive honors this season, along with Nnedi Okammor and Naya Shime, who were recognized earlier in the year.
 
BLOCK PARTY
• The Mustangs collected a season-high 16.5 total blocks against Miami last week, led by Nnedi Okammor with 11.
• 16.5 blocks against Miami are the second most blocks in the three-set match in program history. SMU logged 17 blocks in the 3-0 win over Houston on Nov. 10, 2006.
 
NATIONAL NUMBERS
• The Mustangs are ranked in the top 50 nationally in six categories entering the weekend.
• SMU ranks 16th in blocks per set (2.70), 19th in hitting percentage (.276), 32nd in winning percentage (.778), 35th in team total blocks (259.5), 38th in aces per set (1.79), and 49th in opponent hitting percentage (.177).
• Individually, Natalie Foster ranks sixth in the country and second in the ACC in aces per set first. Her 58 aces are first in the conference and seventh in the country. She is also third in the conference and 36th in the nation in hitting percentage (.380).
• Celia Cullen currently ranks first in the conference in total assists with 956 and third in the ACC in assists per set this season at 9.96.
 
WHEELER JOINS 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 (1110 K/1010 D) – 2021-24
 
ACE QUEENS
• The Mustangs have 172 service aces this season and need 20 more to break the program record for aces in a season (191 - 1997).
• Natalie Foster has been a game-changer for the Mustangs at the service line.
• Foster now holds SMU's single-season ace record with 58 and counting this season, passing Caroline Young (51 – 2013) in the Mustangs' match against North Carolina.
 
TOP 5 SINGLE-SEASON ACE LEADERS
1. 58 – 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 - Melissa Godwin – 1997
 
A LOOK AT THE OPPONENTS
• The Wolfpack bring a 14-10 record into the weekend and a 9-7 mark in the ACC.
• NC State won both matchups with Wake Forest last week, which snapped a three-game losing streak.
• Last season, the Wolfpack went 22-7 overall and 12-6 in ACC play.
• Wake Forest is 13-14 on the season entering the weekend and 5-11 in conference play.
• The Demon Deacons are on a five-game losing streak.
• Last season, Wake Forest went 17-12 and 8-10 in the ACC.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
• NC State leads the overall series 2-1 over the Mustangs. SMU's only win came in the first-ever meeting in 1999.
• Wake Forest won the only meeting between the two programs in 2003.
 
TWO-HEADED MONSTER
• Naya Shime (12th) and Maya Tabron (18th) 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 4.05 points per set.
• The tandem has a combined 37 double-digit kill performances this season.
 
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, a spot they've held for three consecutive weeks.
• 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 7-4 against teams currently in the rankings or receiving votes.
 
RPI & KPI
• SMU is ranked 7th in this week's RPI rankings, fourth highest in the ACC, and highest in program history.
• The Mustangs are 11-6 against opponents currently in the top 50 and 12-6 against teams in the top 100.
• In KPI, the Mustangs are 9th 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).
 
MUSTANGS CHASING MILESTONES AND SEASON RECORDS
• Ellie Bolton needs eight digs to reach 1,000 for her career.
• Celia Cullen needs 68 digs to reach the 1,000 career digs.
• Jamison Wheeler needs 63 kills to move up to ninth in the SMU record books.