Not many know the journey of SMU volleyball into the national spotlight quite like Jentry Lamirand and Casey Batenhorst.

The two seniors committed to the Mustangs in August and September of 2020, 17 months before Sam Erger was hired to be the new head coach. They have spent all four years at SMU and witnessed the rise of the program from the inside.

"Thinking back to it, I signed with the old coach, and SMU has always been a solid program, but never been ranked that high or had this much success," Batenhorst said. "So coming in, I wasn't really sure what I was getting with Sam being a new coach. I didn't know her too well yet. However, after, like, a month or two of being here, she's very dedicated, very driven, and recruits great people. I don't know if I would have thought we would be ranked seventh in the nation and all that type of stuff, but I knew that this program was going to exceed its limits."

Batenhorst and Lamirand were the only two freshmen in that class, and in the age of the transfer portal, they stayed together through it all. 

In their time, SMU has won a conference title, entered the rankings, hosted NCAA tournament matches and been ranked in the Top 10.

"I wouldn't have made it through without that girl," Lamirand said of Batenhorst. "She brings the life of the party everywhere she goes. She's just so bubbly, easy to be around. She takes your mind off the hard things. The problems have been different every year. You're always going to run into some bump in the road, but Casey has stayed the same throughout our four years, and I couldn't be more thankful for that, because she helped me get through it, and we helped each other get through it together."

It would be easy to waver. No two years have been the same for the Mustangs. The roster has been ever-changing, SMU has changed conferences and it has lifted itself into the national spotlight.

The Mustangs went from just making the NCAA tournament to hosting tournament matches and from beating Top 10 teams to being a Top 10 team.

"It's been super fun just getting to see, getting to be a part of all aspects. All four years, it's been completely different," Batenhorst said. "... It's just been really cool to watch and watch this program grow and watch even higher recruits keep getting recruited and coming to SMU because of all the success we're seeing."

A lot of that has been built on what Batenhorst and Lamirand have done and meant to the program. 

"Casey and Jentry have been a coach's dream," Erger said. "You need rock-solid kids like that. Look at what they've been a part of building here. They're the most successful Mustangs to go through SMU volleyball ever. They've been here through a conference championship and multiple records broken — they've been a part of it all."

Every year has brought a new challenge and a new group of teammates to work alongside. And every time the Mustangs have taken on a challenge, had success and set a new standard as a team, it has done the same to the players.

"I feel like I've grown right alongside it, like who I am as a player, who I am as a person," Lamirand said. "So the development of the program has just developed me as a person. And both of them have been super challenging but also super fun and really, really special to be a part of."

Last year, the Mustangs graduated nine seniors, and with only two set to be on the roster, they got some added support. 

Along with bringing in seven true freshmen, bringing back two sophomores and adding two more sophomores through the portal, the Mustangs brought in four seniors through the transfer portal.

Averi Carlson, Malaya Jones, Jordyn Schilling and Madison Scheer joined the roster to bring an added layer of experience and leadership. 

"The group of seniors this year is absolutely amazing," Batenhorst said. "We mesh insanely well together. Sam uses this word a lot, but there's a lot of synergy within us. And I think all our personalities balance each other out very well, all six of us, and we're able to lead this team into maturity and success and finding all of our niches and how we can all have a role on this team. This senior group is special."

The four newcomers have fit right in. They've embraced the program, the Mustangs have embraced them right back and success has followed.

"Malaya, Madison, Jordyn and Averi feel like we've had them for longer than a year. They have been such huge value adds and given more than they've taken," Erger said. "Every season is its own, and each new team writes their own chapter, so Malaya, Averi, Jordyn and Maddie are Mustangs just like anyone else, and they've given their all to elevate our program — and they have. Their commitment, leadership and talent have lifted us to the highest ranking we've ever held. We don't do that without them."

Jones was a permanent fixture on the court during her time at Colorado State and has fit right in with the Mustangs. She is one of three players to start every match and has played every set this season. Her 346 kills lead the team, and she is third in both digs (171) and blocks (64).

But it's been the work outside of game days that Jones has embraced this season as a senior.

"This place has just been so rewarding and has taught me so much about the game and how to grow even in my old age," Jones said. "And they just taught me how to be a leader and how to step into that role. It's my first year being captain. I think it's something I've always wanted, and I've taken on the challenge. I've just been really excited for what that takes, and it's not just walking up to the ref and calling and flipping the coin. You've got to lead the young ones, and you've got to hold people accountable, even when they're friends. And sometimes that can be hard, but I think that's something I'm really good at."

The SMU roster has 11 players from the state of Texas, with six of them being about an hour from SMU. Lamirand is on the edge of that group, coming to SMU after a successful high school career at Decatur.

That means familiar faces in the stands every time out.

"I feel like I need to say, like, a huge, huge, huge, huge thank you to my parents," Lamirand said. "In my four years here, they haven't missed a single game, whether that be home or away. That support just means the world, because it was so unconditional, whether I was playing, playing good, playing bad, not playing at all, like they were always there with a smile on their face, ready for a post-game hug. So seriously, they mean the world to me. I wouldn't be here without them."

The six seniors will celebrate Senior Day on Sunday against Virginia Tech. It will be an emotional day as they are honored, but still having six regular season matches left, including some more home games, will help lessen the blow. A little, at least.

"I'm really proud of myself and how I've grown this season," Jones said. 'It's definitely been harder than I could ever imagine, but it's what I asked for, so I couldn't be more grateful for that pressure and for that hardship. I am excited just to see how the rest of the season goes. No matter what happens, I'm doing it with a group that I love and that I'm going to be proud of at the end of the day."