Jamison Wheeler has played a lot of volleyball for SMU, but Thursday night will be a first even for her.

In her 127th game as a Mustang, she will take the court at Moody Coliseum in the NCAA tournament, something that has never been done in program history. SMU earned a No. 2 seed in the tournament, the highest seed ever and with it, the right to play the first two rounds at home.

That begins against Wichita State in the first round.

"It's been insane. I always say this, when I came in here I could have never imagined going on this journey and it's just so awesome," Wheeler said. "No matter how this year ends, it's just going to be incredible. The journey that I've been on the last four years and watched the program grow and flourish. It's just been something so special."

Only six players have played more matches for the SMU volleyball team than Wheeler. In the first round, she will move into a tie for sixth all-time. If SMU makes the second round, she moves into a tie for fifth. 

Wheeler is a Sweet 16 appearance away from tying for third and an Elite Eight appearance will tie her for first. Which means, if the Mustangs reach the Final Four, she would take over the No. 1 spot all by herself.

While the odds might not be completely in SMU's favor to make a run that deep, don't count them out.

"I think that we can't fear anyone," Wheeler said. "We have to just be confident in ourselves. We've done it. We beat the top two teams right now in the country. We like to say, 'Why not us?' Why can't we go and win all six games?"

Wheeler was one of nine seniors honored in the regular season home finale on Saturday. But she is the only one who spent her entire career at SMU. She was recruited and played her first season for former head coach Lisa Seifert before Sam Erger was named just the second-ever head coach in program history before the 2022 season. 

And all she's done is continue to get better and do everything asked of her.

"Uniquely, she's one of the best learners I've ever coached," Erger said of Wheeler. "I think that, at times, she might have been outmatched physically and we challenged her in that, and she goes and gets more physical and hits the weight room. She had to train and she had to dive into what we wanted. She's a rare one to have made it from the old guard, but that's because she was in alignment with our vision and our goals and she was all in. That's why you're seeing her have such a special senior year."

She has played in all 31 matches this season, hitting both the 1,000-kill and 1,000-dig marks for her career. 

From her first kill to her latest dig, she has seen players come and go. Celia Cullen and Natalie Perdue transferred in while Casey Batenhorst and Jentry Lamirand joined as high school recruits in 2022.

Last season, Brooke Frazier and Naya Shime joined from the portal before four transfers and three freshmen came in this season. That is a lot of change, and that's just what remains on this year's roster, but a lot of good has come from it.

"It's been fun. I've gotten a lot of new best friends. Obviously, as a player that's been here, I love seeing who gets to come here. Just watching us grow each year," Wheeler said. "... It's been a lot of change, but I think it's made me grow as a person. The new coaching change, as well, just kind of adapting to all new environments, new people, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

And now Wheeler is a player Erger and the staff can point to when recruiting the transfer portal and high school ranks. She is a player who came in, took coaching, developed and then excelled on the court.

It's all part of what will make the SMU program successful for years to come.

"We want to be successful in the portal, I think Dallas is super attractive," Erger said. "But we also want to be attractive to high school athletes that want to develop and maybe have a little bit longer of a plan, and she would be a great example to point to on 'Hey, this is a kid that gave us four years and look what we were able to do with her in four years.'

"... We do need to have kids that we can point to and I think she'll always be one that we can point to that gave us a really awesome four years."

But she's not done yet.

And having these opportunities to play in the postseason in front of a crowd that set attendance records this season just adds to the excitement of the weekend.

"I really think that they're going to show out and the place will be flooded red and blue for us," Wheeler said. "It's just going to be a lot of fun. I'm excited to hear the SMU chants from the crowd and all that kind of stuff. So it's going to be super fun and exciting."

SMU All-Time Matches Played

1t. Janelle Giordano (130, 2013-16)

1t. Morgan Heise (130, 2013-16)

3t. Erin Pryor (129, 1996-99)

3t. Melissa Godwin (129, 1997-2000)

5. Leslie Olson (128, 1996-99)

6. Kelly Klecka (127, 1997-2000)

7t. Jamison Wheeler (126, 2021-24)

7t. Alex Glover (126, 2019-23

7t. Caroline Young (126, 2011-14)