DALLAS (SMU) – Malaya Jones' 23 kills lifted No. 8 SMU Volleyball to a 3-1 victory over Florida State (16-12, 10-9 ACC) with set scores of 25-19, 23-25, 25-22, 25-14. The win pushed the Mustangs to a 24-5 record, 16-3 in ACC action. SMU has won eight-straight contests, tied for the longest streak of the season, and has won 16 of its last 17 matches.
Along with her 23 kills, Jones notched her sixth double-double of the season, adding 10 digs and a season-high six blocks. She hit .302 in the win and added two aces.
Kennedi Rogers recorded a career-high 19 kills, hitting .381 against the Seminoles.
Jadyn Livings got back into double-figures against Florida State with 16 kills, hitting .314, to go along with 11 digs for her fifth double-double of the season.
Averi Carlson dished out 55 assists, the second most for the senior setter this season, while also collecting a double-double with 11 digs on Wednesday. Four Mustangs notched 10 or more digs, led by
Jordyn Schilling, who dug 17 balls against the Seminoles.
MATCH NOTES
- SMU hit .273 in the win with a 64-45 advantage in kills. The Mustangs out-blocked Florida State 15-14 and had a 62-40 edge in digs.
- Jones reached the double-digit kill mark for the 24th time this season, 17th in a conference match. It was her 8th time this season with 20 or more kills.
- Jones has 451 kills this season, 10 kills away from breaking the program record for single season kills in the rally scoring era. (461 – Katie Hagerty 2016)
- Carlson now has 10 double-doubles on the season, leading the team. Carlson has six in ACC play.
- Rogers logged 10 or more kills for the fourth time this season.
- Livings went for 10+ kills for the 16th time this season.
- Jordyn Schilling's 17 digs marked her 19th time in double-figures this season—the most digs in an ACC match for Schilling.
- SMU brings a seven-match winning streak into the contest and has won 15 of its last 16 matches.
- SMU has yet to lose to Florida State, holding a perfect 5-0 record against the Seminoles and a 15-2 advantage in sets won.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
A strong finish to the first set propelled SMU to a 25-19 win. Up 19-18, the Mustangs tallied six of the final seven points to win the frame.
Malaya Jones went for eight kills in the set while
Jadyn Livings finished the opener with six kills. The Mustangs had an 18-10 advantage in kills and hit .324 in the frame.
A strong start for the Mustangs saw them go up 9-2 in the second. Florida State worked its way into contention, using a late 10-point run at the 23-16 mark to win the second set 25-23. The Seminoles had five blocks and the frame, holding SMU to a .167.
Down 18-17 in the third, SMU put together a four-point stretch to go up 21-18. The run included a kill from Jones, an ace from Schilling, a reception error by the Seminoles, and a block from Anyanwu and Rogers. The clubs traded points down the stretch, but the run proved to be the difference as SMU won 25-22. With a 17-11 edge in kills, SMU held Florida State to a .154 hitting percentage in the frame. Jones finished with nine kills in the frame, tied for the most in a set by a Mustang this season.
Tied at 4, SMU went on an 8-0 to go up 12-4 during the front-end of the fourth set. Florida State was never able to recover after the run, as SMU kept its foot on the gas, running away with the final set. The Mustangs closed the match with a commanding 25-14 victory, doing so by holding the Seminoles to a .000 hitting percentage while swinging at a .414 percent clip themselves. Anyanwu logged four of her six kills in the fourth set, going 4-of-5.
SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader:
Malaya Jones (23)
SMU Assist Leader:
Averi Carlson (55)
SMU Digs Leader:
Jordyn Schilling (17)
SMU Blocks Leader:
Favor Anyanwu (9)
SMU Ace Leader:
Malaya Jones/
Jordyn Schilling (2)
SMU Points Leader:
Malaya Jones (28)
Up Next: No. 8 SMU will take on NC State in Raleigh, N.C., for its final regular-season match. First serve is set for 12 p.m. CT on ACCNX.
