RALEIGH, N.C. (SMU) – No. 8 SMU extended its ACC-leading win streak to nine in its five-set victory over NC State (15-15, 8-12 ACC) with set scores of 25-14, 23-25, 30-32, 25-23, 15-7. The Mustangs end the regular season with a 25-5 record overall, 17-3 in ACC play.    

Malaya Jones broke the program's rally scoring record for most kills in a season against the Wolfpack. She ended the match with 27 kills, tying the modern era kill record for a single match at SMU. Jones also added a team-best 17 digs in the win and hit .462 on 52 swings.   

Kennedi Rogers reached the 20-kill mark with a career-high 21 terminations against NC State. She recorded her second career double-double, adding 10 digs in the effort. Jadyn Livings earned double-figure kills for the second straight match, logging 16 kills while adding 10 digs in the regular-season finale.   

Averi Carlson dished out a career-best 62 assists in the five-set victory. Carlson also added eight digs and three aces against NC State. She guided the Mustangs to a .327 hitting percentage in the win. 

MATCH NOTES      

• Jones passed Katie Hagerty's 461-kill mark, set in 2016 for the season record. Jones also broke the modern era points record in a match with 31.5 in the win.
• Jones reached the double-digit kill mark for the 24th time this season, 17th in a conference match. It was her 9th time this season with 20 or more kills, and it was her seventh double-double of the season.
• Livings surpassed the 500-kill milestone for her career in the first set of Saturday's match. Livings went over 10 kills for the 17th time this season. She also earned her sixth double-double of the year, her second consecutive.
• With 14 digs against the Wolfpack, Jordyn Schilling surpassed the 1,500-mark for her career. It marked Schilling's 20th time in double-figures this season.
• With six blocks against the Wolfpack, Favor Anyanwu is now tied for fourth all-time for blocks in a season at SMU (162 – Janelle Giordano – 2016).
• With an ace against NC State, Casey Batenhorst tied former teammate Jamison Wheeler (94) for ninth all-time at SMU. She is now six aces away from becoming the eighth Mustang to have 100 or more aces at SMU in their career.
• Rogers logged 10 or more kills for the fifth time this season and for the second straight match.
• Carlson's previous career-high in assists was against SMU (60) on 9/26/23 while she was at Baylor.
• SMU closed out the regular season as the winners of 17 of its last 18 matches.
• SMU is 4-3 against NC State, with a 2-0 record in 2025. Three of the last four matches between the two clubs have been five-set matches.
• The Mustangs improved to 4-2 in five-set matches and 13-7 under head coach Sam Erger. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:     
Led by Jadyn Livings, who poured in seven kills on nine attempts in the opening frame, SMU hit .722 as a unit, which helped it win the set 25-14. Kennedi Rogers got going early, going a perfect 4-of-4 on her swings in the opener. The Mustangs added early pressure from the service line with four aces.  

NC State fought back from a seven-point deficit starting at the 20-13 mark to take set two from the Mustangs 25-23. The Wolfpack closed the frame on a 12-3 run, hitting .325 in the set.   

Up 15-8 after the media timeout of the third set, NC State began to rally back and eventually forced extra points. The Wolfpack took a 26-25 lead, but a kill from Livings followed. SMU fought off six set points but ultimately fell short 32-30 in the longest set of the season for the Mustangs.   

SMU found itself down 15-9 at the media timeout but began its late surge right after with a 3-0 run. The Mustangs cut their deficit to one at 19-18 before three straight points by the Wolfpack put them up 22-18. SMU responded with four straight and seven of the final eight points of the frame to force a deciding fifth set on a 25-23 fourth frame victory. The Mustangs held NC State to their lowest hitting percentage of the match at .122 in the fourth.   

The Mustangs controlled the fifth set, hitting .562 in the frame. SMU started with a 4-1 advantage, with each of the four points coming on kills from Jones and Rogers. Up 12-7, SMU closed the match with a 4-0 run, the final two points on aces from Carlson to win the frame 15-7 and the match 3-2.  

SMU LEADERS:       
SMU Kills Leader: Malaya Jones (27)    
SMU Assist Leader: Averi Carlson (62)   
SMU Digs Leader: Malaya Jones (17)    
SMU Blocks Leader: Favor Anyanwu (6) 
SMU Ace Leader: Averi Carlson/Malaya Jones (3)    
SMU Points Leader: Malaya Jones (31.5)   
 
Up Next: The NCAA Selection Show will air on Sunday, Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. CT on ESPN.