SETTING THE SCENE
• SMU hits the road for the second straight week for two matches in Nacogdoches, Texas, against Stephen F. Austin and UTEP.
• SMU looks to regroup after two losses to No. 3 Kentucky and No. 14 Purdue last week in Lexington, its first two losses of the 2025 season.
• The two matches in Nacogdoches will be the final two non-conference outings for the Mustangs before they start conference play with two matches against No. 5 Pittsburgh next week.
• The Mustangs look to win their first match against SFA since 2021. It will be the first meeting between SMU and UTEP since 2015.
• The SMU matchup against Stephen F. Austin will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
QUICK HITS
• Despite the two losses, sophomore outside Jadyn Livings had herself a weekend. Livings averaged 5.50 kills per set and 2.0 digs per set in the two matches in Lexington. On the week, Livings led the Mustangs offensively with 5.27 kills per set and 58 total kills in three games against top 15 opponents. Her 5.27 kills per set was 8th in the nation and first in the ACC this week. The Rowlett, Texas native had a career-high 26 kills with nine digs, one shy of a double-double, against No. 3 Kentucky on Saturday, tied for the second-most kills in a match in a four-setter in SMU history.
• After back-to-back matches with single-digit kills, graduate opposite Malaya Jones got back on track with a 23-kill, nine-dig performance against Purdue. Jones had eight kills in the third set of the match.
• Freshman Christa Wilburn terminated a season-high 12 balls in the loss to Kentucky, the second leading attack for the Mustangs in the match.
• Casey Batenhorst was lethal at the service line over the weekend, finishing with seven total aces in two matches, including a career-high four against No. 14 Purdue. Batenhorst has now had three or more aces in six matches in her career, two of them coming this past weekend.
• In the national rankings, the Mustangs are top 50 in the country in four categories: Hitting Percentage (22nd), Assists Per Set (28th), Blocks Per Set (39th), and Team Blocks (40th). Individually, Averi Carlson is fifth in the country in assists per set and eighth in total assists. Favor Anyanwu is 15th in the nation in blocks per set and 17th in total blocks.
• SMU is 6-1 when out-blocking its opponents through eight games this season. SMU is 5-0 when two or more Mustangs have five or more blocks this season.
• The Mustangs are 6-0 when swinging at a higher percentage than their opponents this season.
• The Mustangs have started matches strongly this season. SMU has won the first set in seven of the eight games they've played and is 5-2 when winning the first set.
 
GIG EM OUTTA HERE
• No. 10 SMU Volleyball (6-0) swept No. 8 Texas A&M (5-1) in front of the second-largest home volleyball crowd in program history of 3,076 Tuesday night. The Mustangs won in straight sets of 25-20, 25-14, and 25-19, earning their second sweep of the season and second win over a ranked opponent this year.
• The Mustangs are now 6-0, tying the program record for best start to a season.
• The win marked the 10th ranked victory under head coach Sam Erger and the second of the season. SMU has now beaten three top 10 teams in the last two years at home. 
• Outside hitter Jadyn Livings led the way for the 10th-ranked Mustangs with 14 kills, hitting .400, while adding four digs. Middle blocker Natalia Newsome logged eight kills on a .538 hitting percentage against the Aggies. Favor Anyanwu led the match with eight blocks and Jordyn Schilling led the way with 12 digs.
• Setter Averi Carlson dished out 29 assists with four digs and five blocks in the three-setter. As a team, SMU hit .270 and held the No. 8 Aggies to a .070 hitting percentage, their lowest of the season. SMU out-blocked Texas A&M 11-7 on the night.
• SMU improved to 2-0 against the Aggies in the all-time series with the win.
• The match was the first top 10 home matchup in Moody Coliseum, regardless of sport, since 1957.
• Outside hitter Jadyn Livings led the way for the 10th-ranked Mustangs with 14 kills, hitting .400, while adding four digs. Middle blocker Natalia Newsome logged eight kills on a .538 hitting percentage against the Aggies. Favor Anyanwu led the match with eight blocks and Jordyn Schilling led the way with 12 digs.
• Setter Averi Carlson dished out 29 assists with four digs and five blocks in the three-setter. As a team, SMU hit .270 and held the No. 8 Aggies to a .070 hitting percentage, their lowest of the season. SMU out-blocked Texas A&M 11-7 on the night.
• Jadyn Livings earned double-digit kills for the first straight match, tied for the longest streak of her career. Her 14 kills were double the Aggies' leading attacker.
 
SERIES HISTORY
• SFA holds an 11-5 advantage in the series. SMU is just 1-4 in Nacogdoches, with the last road matchup for the Mustangs being in 2007.
• SMU is 22-9 all-time against UTEP. The two programs have not played each other since 2015, when SMU won in Dallas 3-1. It is the first neutral-site matchup between the two clubs. 
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
• The Lumberjacks bring a 5-4 record into the weekend of matches. SFA swept Tarleton State on Tuesday to start the week.
• SFA went 24-9, 14-2 in the Southland a year ago. The Lumberjacks earned a spot in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), winning their opening round matchup over Jackson State before falling to Arkansas State in the Super Sixteen.
• SFA have 11 returning players accounting for 91.36% of points scored from 2024.
• All three First Team-SLC Selections, Katherine Holtman, Izabella Ortiz and Kyanna Creecy, return for the 2025 season.
 
The UTEP Miners
• The Miners bring a 9-1 record into the weekend of matches. UTEP's only loss was to then No. 24 UCLA on Sept. 11. The Miners have won three straight, including a 3-1 win over Arizona in Tucson their last time out. • UTEP went 27-6 in 2024, 16-2 in the CUSA. The Miners earned an NCAA Tournament berth, and nearly upset Oklahoma last season, falling in five to the Sooners in the opening round.
• UTEP was picked to finish second in the CUSA and earned four first place votes. Four Miners earned CUSA Preseason honors in outsides, Sara Pustahija and Ema Uskokovic, along with middles Kaya Weaver and Danika Washington. Weaver was picked CUSA Preseason Player of the Year.
 
WINNERS IN THE NON-CONFERENCE
• SMU's non-conference slate is comprised of ten programs with an average win total of 22 from last season, 12 in conference play. Seven out of the ten non-conference opponents for the Mustangs notched 20+ wins in 2024.
• The average final 2024 RPI for the 10 teams on the docket for SMU in the 2025 non-conference is 45.5.
 
NEW SEASON, NEW FACES
• SMU will be replacing 95% of its point production from a season ago. With nine productive players graduating a season ago, Coach Erger and staff have reloaded their roster for the 2025 season, as they return no starters from the program's historic season.
• The highest returning points scorer is sophomore Natalia Newsome, who logged 56.5 points in her rookie season, with 44 kills and 21 blocks.
• SMU brought in six transfers and seven players out of high school to go along with four returners.
• Each of the six transfers Sam Erger and company brought in have NCAA Tournament experience.
 
TOP 10 MUSTANGS
• SMU Volleyball remains at No. 10 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Taraflex Coaches Poll despite going 1-2 on the week. SMU played three top-15 opponents during that stretch.
• The Mustangs were ranked No. 10 in the 2025 preseason ranking, marking the first time that the program was ranked going into the season.
• SMU is the fourth highest-ranked ACC squad, trailing No. 3 Louisville, No. 4 Stanford and No. 5 Pittsburgh. After the No. 10 Mustangs, Georgia Tech comes in at No. 23, and North Carolina at No. 25.
• The Mustangs will face eight teams that opened the season ranked, including five in the preseason, before ACC play begins against preseason-ranked No. 3 Pitt on Wednesday, September 24, inside Moody Coliseum.
• The Mustangs cracked the top 25 for the first time in last year's historic season, reaching as high as No. 10 in the country. The Mustangs have been ranked in 14 straight polls.
 
JONES MAKING NATIONAL NOISE
• SMU Volleyball transfer opposite hitter Malaya Jones was named to the AVCA Preseason Division I National Player of the Year Watch List, presented by Nike Volleyball, on Friday, July 23.
• The 6-0 graduate from El Dorado Hills, Calif., is the first player in program history to earn a spot on the association's preseason list.
• The 2025 Preseason Watch List includes 30 players from 20 different schools. More players can be added to the mid-season list in October, followed by a list of semifinalists in November, the announcement of the finalists in mid-December, and the reveal of the Player of the Year in Kansas City, Mo., at the AVCA Awards Banquet on Friday, December 19.
• Jones is one of seven players in the ACC who earned a spot on the list. Last season, Celia Cullen and Naya Shime were added to the mid-season list. 
 
ALL-ACC PRESEASON TEAM
• Malaya Jones, Averi Carlson and Favor Anyanwu were voted to the All-ACC Preseason team by the ACC coaches.
• The 2024 Preseason Volleyball All-ACC Team consisted of 18 players and was voted on by the league's head coaches.
• Pitt leads the way with the most players on this year's preseason team, with four representatives. SMU, Stanford, and Louisville follow, each having three players listed.
 
ACC PRESEASON POLL
• SMU was chosen fourth in the ACC Preseason Poll by the league's head coaches.
• The Mustangs finished fourth in the ACC a season ago after being picked sixth in the 2024 preseason.
• SMU trails defending ACC Champion, Pitt, then Louisville and Stanford, while North Carolina rounded out the top five behind SMU.
 
YEAR FOUR FOR ERGER
• Head Coach Sam Erger is in year four as SMU's head volleyball coach. Erger looks to continue the success of the program with back-to-back NCAA tournament second-round appearances and three straight 20-win seasons, the second-longest streak in program history. That includes going 16-4 in the ACC last year. SMU has 11 total 20-win seasons, three of which are in the three seasons under Erger.
• Erger has already taken SMU Volleyball to new heights in just three full seasons. Before the Erger's tenure, SMU had only been to two NCAA Tournaments, in the 2015 and 2016 seasons. 
• Erger is 49-10 (83.1%) in conference matches on the Hilltop, winning 15+ in each of the three seasons.
• Erger has 10 ranked wins under her belt at SMU, three over top-10 teams.