DALLAS (SMU) – No. 10 SMU volleyball took care of business in its first match of the weekend, sweeping Virginia (10-14, 3-10 ACC) Friday night at Moody Coliseum with set scores of 25-7, 25-17, 25-18.  

The win moved SMU to 18-5, 10-3 in ACC matches. It also marked the Mustangs' ninth sweep of the season and fourth straight at home.

Malaya Jones led the Mustangs with eight kills on the night, hitting .400. Kennedi Rogers and Favor Anyanwu both put down seven kills against the Cavaliers. The Mustangs finished with 10 aces in the outing, led by Casey Batenhorst, who had a career-high five aces in the win.

Setter Averi Carlson dished out 30 assists, added six digs and logged a career-best five kills Friday night. SMU hit .304 as a club and held Virginia to a .044 hitting percentage, the second-lowest opponent efficiency of the season.
 
MATCH NOTES: 

• It was the 12th match this season where SMU hit over .300 as a team, eighth in ACC play.
• The Mustangs improved to 9-1 at Moody Coliseum this season. 
• SMU is now 2-0 against UVA. Both victories have been sweeps for the Mustangs.
• SMU has now notched double-digit conference wins in all four seasons under Coach Erger.
• The Mustangs' 10 aces against Virginia marked the fourth match this season where SMU notched 10 or more aces.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED: 
The Mustangs took the first set dominantly, 25-7, tied for the decisive set of the season. SMU limited Virginia's offense to a .040 hitting percentage while hitting .667 themselves. Malaya Jones was a perfect 6-of-6 on attacks in the set, while Kennedi Rogers and Favor Anyanwu logged four kills each. SMU also applied heavy pressure from the service line, adding three aces in the opener.
 
SMU took the 2-0 lead behind a solid defense effort all around. SMU logged four blocks in the frame and held Virginia to a .000 hitting percentage. The Mustangs held UVA to nine kills and nine attack errors in the second set. Senior Madison Scheer led SMU with each of her four kills of the night coming in the second set.
 
SMU continued its gritty defensive performance paired with aggressive serving into the final set, a frame in which the Mustangs won 25-18. Casey Batenhorst notched three of her five aces in the third set as SMU finished with four as a team. The Mustangs once again held UVA to under .100 in the frame (.094) and added 19 digs, the most in a set throughout Friday's action. 

SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Malaya Jones (8)
SMU Assist Leader: Averi Carlson (30)
SMU Digs Leader: Jentry Lamirand (9)
SMU Blocks Leader: Maggie Croft (5)
SMU Ace Leader: Casey Batenhorst (5)
SMU Points Leader: Malaya Jones (10)
 
Up Next: SMU will host Virginia Tech on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT, with senior day festivities to follow the match.