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Postmatch Press Conference

DALLAS (SMU) – No. 10 SMU volleyball took care of Wichita State in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, sweeping the Shockers at Moody Coliseum with set scores of 28-26, 25-17, and 25-14. The Mustangs improved to 25-7 and collected their 16th sweep of the season.
 
Maya Tabron led the match with 14 kills, hitting .357 with nine digs and three blocks. Naya Shime also reached double digits with 11 kills, hitting .348 with six digs and three blocks.

Jamison Wheeler followed with ten kills, four digs, and three blocks. Celia Cullen dished out 38 assists in the three-setter, with four digs and three blocks. Nnedi Okammor had another impactful night at the net with seven blocks. 
 
The Mustangs hit .318 as a team and held Wichita State to a .141 hitting percentage in the opening round. SMU also out-blocked the Shockers 11-8 and won the serve receive battle with seven aces to just two by Wichita State. The Mustangs finished with a 74.1 side-out percentage.
 
MATCH NOTES:

• SMU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and the third time in program history.
• The Mustangs improved to 10-8 against Wichita State in the all-time series between the two programs.
• SMU volleyball improved to 3-3 in NCAA Tournament matches.
• Tabron had over ten or more kills for the 20th time this season. Shime went had 10+ kills for the 23rd time.
• Wheeler collected double-digit kills for the 11th time in 2024. Wheeler also moves to tie for sixth place in matches played at SMU.
• Batenhorst notched a season-high and tied her career-high with three aces against the Shockers.
• With seven blocks, Okammor went over five blocks for the 14th time this season.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE | Wichita State got off to a 3-0 start to open the first set, followed by a three straight for SMU on a kill from Foster, an attack error by the Shockers, and a kill from Wheeler to even the score. The Shockers regained the lead, going up by as much as three (10-7) until the middle of the set, as the Mustangs evened the score at 10-all on back-to-back kills from Tabron followed by a block from Tabron and Foster. SMU proceeded to go up two (13-11) as Tabron put down another kill, followed by an attack error by the Shockers and then a kill from Shime. Wichita State answered with a lengthy run, collecting six of the next seven, which gave them a three-point advantage at 18-15. SMU punched back with three straight and six of the next seven to get back in front by two at 21-19. The clubs traded two points each down the stretch, giving SMU the first set point (24-23). The Mustangs and Shockers traded points until a service error by Wichita State and an ace from Casey Batenhorst gave SMU a 28-26 opening set victory. The Mustangs were led by Tabron, who had seven in set one.
 
SET TWO | After a 4-4 first eight in the second set, kills from Shime and Tabron, followed by an ace from Bolton, put the Mustangs up three. SMU worked to extend their lead to six with a 4-0 scoring run a few rallies later, with three points coming on blocks by the Mustangs. The Ponies began to run away with the frame, going up by as much as nine (20-11). The Shockers scrapped for some points late in the set, but the Mustangs' lead was too much for Wichita State to overcome. SMU went on to win the set convincingly 25-17. SMU was led by Wheeler, who had four kills in the set. After hitting .133 in the first set, SMU swung at a .462 percent clip in the second. The Mustangs also out-blocked the Shockers 6-2 in the frame, led by Okammor with three block assists and a solo rejection.
 
SET THREE | SMU going early in the third set, jumping to a 4-2 lead. Wichita State closed the gap to one momentarily (5-4), but five straight points gave SMU a sizable cushion. Tabron caught fire for the Mustangs with four consecutive kills, followed by a kill by Okammor that started the run. The Shockers pulled within three, collecting six of the following nine points, but SMU had another answer with three straight kills, including another from Okammor and a pair from Wheeler. After a kill from Wichita State to stop the run, SMU put together three more points on another kill from Wheeler, an attack error by the Shockers, and then an ace by Batenhorst, her third of the match. SMU cruised down the stretch, outscoring Wichita State 6-3, including the final four points, to claim victory in the first round of the tournament with their most decisive set score of the match (25-14). The Mustangs hit .410 in the final frame, led by Shime, who logged six kills, and Tabron, who put down five. Wichita State had their lowest hitting percentage of the match in set three, swinging at just a .120 percent clip.
 
SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Maya Tabron (14)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (38)
SMU Digs Leader: Maya Tabron (9)
SMU Blocks Leader: Nnedi Okammor (7)
SMU Ace Leader: Casey Batenhorst (3)
 
UP NEXT:    
SMU Volleyball will host No. 7 seed Missouri in their second-round matchup tomorrow at 7 p.m., airing on ESPN+. For all things SMU Volleyball, follow the program on Instagram, X, and Facebook.