LOUISVILLE, Ky. (SMU) – Despite being shorthanded, No. 8 SMU Volleyball took down No. 4 Louisville in a five-set thriller (25-22, 19-25, 24-26, 25-21, 19-17) in Kentucky Friday night. SMU improved to 13-4, 5-2 in ACC action.

The win marked the fourth-ranked win of the season and the fourth win over a top 10 team during the Sam Erger era. SMU now has 12 wins over ranked opponents since Erger took over on the Hilltop in 2022. It was the first-ever win over Louisville for SMU and the Mustangs handed Cardinals its first loss inside L&N Federal Credit Union Arena since Oct. 8, 2022.

 Malaya Jones paced the Mustangs with 22 kills, hitting .320, with five digs and four blocks. Kennedi Rogers and Jadyn Livings each logged 10 kills in the match. Rogers earned the first double-double of her career with 10 kills and a career-high 10 digs against the Cardinals.

Averi Carlson stuffed the stat sheet Friday night with 54 assists and 16 digs defensively, tying her career high. Christa Wilburn notched a season-best 13 digs against Louisville, followed by a 12-dig and three-ace performance from Jordyn Schilling.  

MATCH NOTES: 

• Jones tallied 22 kills, her fifth 20 or more kill performance this season.  
• Carlson and Rogers logged double-doubles, the seventh and first doubles of the season, respectively.
• SMU logged 10 aces against Louisville, the third time the Mustangs went for double-digit aces and the second straight time in ACC play.
• The Mustangs dug 76 balls against the Cardinals, the most in a match this season.
• SMU's 15 blocks were tied for the second most by the Mustangs this season. SMU collected six solo blocks as a team, tied for the most this season.
• Carlson's 54-assist outing was her fifth match with 50+ assists this season. With her 54 assists, she has ten assists away from 4,000 in her career.
• SMU is 9-0 when holding its opponents under .200.
• Under Head Coach Sam Erger, SMU in the months of October and November are 47-9 (.839).

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE | It was a back-and-forth opening set to start the top 10 matchup. At the 19-19 mark, an attack error by the Cardinals, followed by a block from Newsome and Rogers, forced the Cardinals to take a timeout. The clubs traded points out of the timeout and then a kill from Livings put the Mustangs back up two, forcing another Louisville timeout. SMU closed the deal quickly with a kill from Jones and an ace from Mia Silva to win the first set 25-22. The Mustangs' defense was steady in set one, logging 23 digs and three team blocks against the Cardinals.

SET TWO | SMU built a 12-7 advantage before two separate three-point spurts evened the score at 13-13. A kill from Livings halted the Cards' momentum momentarily, but Louisville was on a roll, answering with nine of the next 10 to create the lead it needed to close out the frame. The Cardinals leveled the set score with a 25-19 second-set victory.

SET THREE | Backed by the serving pressure of Schilling, SMU raced off to a 7-0 lead in the third set. Unfortunately, Louisville fought back into the set, using a 6-0 run to draw within two, 14-12. Another strong run gave the Cards the lead as they reached the 20-point mark (20-19). A kill from Jones followed by a kill from Rogers put the Mustangs at set point first 24-23, but three straight points by Louisville ended the frame in favor of the Cards 26-24.  
 
SET FOUR | SMU responded well, going up 8-4 to start the fourth set of the match. Louisville worked to take the lead and extended it to three (14-11). The Mustangs didn't waver and put together three straight to even the score. After two straight by the Cardinals, SMU got four more to go their way. Wilburn was strong during the stretch with a kill and a solo block to help put the Mustangs up two (18-16). Louisville cut its deficit to one after going down as much as three in the red zone, but three straight points on a kill from Jones, a block from Rogers and Anyanwu, and an attack error by the Cardinals to win the frame 25-21 to force a fifth set.
 
SET FIVE | Louisville started the set strong with a 4-0 lead and then an 8-2 advantage before SMU slowly clawed back. The Cardinals got to set point up 14-12, but back-to-back kills from Jones kept the Mustangs in it. SMU fought off three straight match points, and then closed the night with three consecutive points, including a kill from Anyanwu, a block from Newsome and Wilburn, and an attack error by the Cardinals to win the set 19-17 and the match in five.  
 
SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Malaya Jones (22)
SMU Assist Leader: Averi Carlson (54)
SMU Digs Leader: Averi Carlson (16)
SMU Blocks Leader: Favor Anyanwu (7)
SMU Ace Leader: Two with (3)
SMU Points Leader: Malaya Jones (24.0)
 
Up Next: SMU will conclude its four-match road stretch at Notre Dame on Sunday, Oct. 19. First serve is set for 12 p.m. CT in South Bend.