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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (SMU) – No. 12 SMU volleyball dominated the Cavaliers, collecting their 11th sweep of the year with set scores of 25-16, 25-10, and 25-14. The Mustangs improved to 17-6 this season and 9-3 in ACC matches.
 
With 31 assists against the Cavaliers, Celia Cullen climbed to fifth on the all-time SMU leaderboard for career assists. Naya Shime and Jamison Wheeler logged ten kills in the win, hitting .333 and .444, respectively. Shime also added nine digs against the Cavaliers.
 
The Mustangs out-blocked the Cavaliers 7-2, led by Shime with five blocks. Natalie Foster had another commanding outing at the service line with four aces. SMU hit .390, their third-highest hitting percentage of the season and second-best in conference play. The Mustangs held Virginia to .000 hitting for the match, which is the lowest opponent percentage SMU has allowed this season.
 
MATCH NOTES:

• Shime went for 10+ kills for the 18th time this season.
• Wheeler notched her ninth 10+ kill outing of the year.
• Foster is now four aces away from becoming SMU's single-season ace leader.
• SMU finished with 39 kills and just seven attack errors on 82 attempts.
• SMU improved to 10-2 on the road this season and 6-1 in ACC play.
• Sunday's matchup was the first meeting between the two clubs.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET ONE |  SMU raced off to an early advantage with a three-point run ending on an ace from Shime that gave the Mustangs a 4-2. SMU continued to control the opening set, collecting seven of the next nine points, forcing a UVA timeout, and going up 11-5. Another dominant stretch closely followed as the Mustangs took their largest lead of the set (15-6). Virginia began to gather some points down the stretch, but SMU's lead was too much for the Cavaliers to handle. Back-to-back points by Virginia drew them within seven (23-16), but SMU closed the opening set out on kills from Wheeler and Shime to win the set 25-16. Shime led the Mustangs with six kills in the opener. As a team, SMU hit .406, while the Cavaliers hit (.074).
                                                                                                          
SET TWO | The Mustangs went up 4-0 in the first set, a lead they pushed to six (8-2) on three straight kills from Wheeler. Virginia regrouped for three of the next four before a five straight for the Mustangs, including three consecutive aces from Foster, which put the Mustangs up 14-5. The clubs traded points until a late 3-0 run extended SMU's lead to 13. After a service error by the Mustangs that broke up the run, SMU collected four of the final six points, ending on a kill from Newsome on the second set point. Shime again led the frame with six kills, while Tabron added four. SMU hit a match-high .429 in the second set with only two attack errors.
 
SET THREE | With the third set tied 2-2 to start, the Mustangs went on a 4-0 scoring run, starting with a kill from Foster and ending with a kill from Wheeler. UVA scored the following two points, but SMU collected four of the next five to take an 11-5 lead, ending on a kill from Okammor. The Mustangs led by as much as ten, four times in the backend of the third set, until a kill from Lamirand and Newsome ended the set and the match with a set score of 25-14. Newsome and Foster each had three kills in the set to lead the Mustangs. Newsome was a perfect 3-of-3 on swings in the frame, helping SMU hit .345 in the frame. Seven different Mustangs logged kills in the final set.
 
SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Naya Shime/Jamison Wheeler (10)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (31)
SMU Digs Leader: Naya Shime (9)
SMU Blocks Leader: Naya Shime (5)
SMU Ace Leader: Natalie Foster (4)
 
UP NEXT:    
SMU Volleyball will host Duke on Friday, Nov. 8, at 7 p.m. CT for the first of four straight at Moody Coliseum. For all things SMU Volleyball, follow the program on Instagram, X, and Facebook.