NACOGDOCHES, Texas (SMU) – Malaya Jones went off for 17 kills and a career-high 17 digs in the Mustangs' 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-17, 25-20) victory over UTEP (9-2) to close out non-conference action. Malaya Jones, Natalia Newsome, and Jordyn Schilling earned All-Tournament team honors for the weekend.
 
Freshman Kennedi Rogers notched a career-high 12 kills, seven of those coming in the second set alone, while hitting .526 for the match. Jadyn Livings pocketed double-digit kills for the sixth consecutive match with 12 kills to go along with five digs.
 
Setter Averi Carlson issued 45 assists and collected eight digs, while Libero Jordyn Schilling finished second for SMU defensively with 15 digs against UTEP. Freshman Christa Wilburn had her best dig effort against the Miners with a career-best 10 digs.
 
Natalia Newsome backed her career performance on Thursday against SFA with an eight-kill, five-block effort against UTEP, while swinging .600 plus for the second straight match, hitting at a .636 percent clip.
 
SMU hit .278 as a unit, with a 61-44 advantage in kills. The Mustangs held UTEP to a .185 percent hitting percentage. SMU out-blocked the Miners 9-6 and had 10 aces in the match, tied for a season-high.
  
MATCH NOTES: 

• SMU is now 23-9 all-time against UTEP. It was the first match since 2015 between the two programs.
• SMU will now enter ACC play with an 8-2 non-conference record.
• Malaya Jones notched her third double-double of the season and 20th of her career.
• The Mustangs are 8-1 when they out-block their opponents.
• Kennedi Rogers' seven kills in the second set are tied for the third-highest by a Mustang in a single set this season. Rogers was 7-of-10 in the frame with no errors.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE | The teams traded leads for the majority of the first set. A kill from Livings put the Mustangs up 13-12, but was answered by a three-point stretch by the Miners, which put them up 15-13 entering the media timeout. SMU regrouped after the break and put up three straight, including another kill from Livings, a bad set by the Miners, and an ace from Maggie Croft, to take back a one-point edge. Another string of runs followed, but UTEP closed well in the red zone. The Miners outscored the Mustangs 6-2 down the stretch to win the frame 25-22. SMU hit its lowest percentage of the match in the first set, swinging at a .182 percent clip, while UTEP had its highest showing of the game at .273. There were 17 lead changes and 10 ties in the opening set.
 
SET TWO | Kennedi Rogers gave SMU a huge spark in the second set, which helped the Mustangs gain a lead UTEP couldn't fight back from. A kill from Livings started a 5-0 run that put SMU up 10-6, a stretch that was capped off by two kills from Rogers. UTEP managed to get within three, thanks to a kill and ace starting at the 16-13 mark, but SMU stretched its lead out to six, and then seven moments later on a kill from Jones and a block from the tandem of Newsome and Rogers. SMU went on to win the set 25-19, evening the set score at one each. After not playing a single point in the first set, Rogers went 7-of-10 in the second, hitting .700 in the frame to help give SMU the jolt it needed. The Mustangs had 17 kills in the set as a team.
 
SET THREE | UTEP raced to a 4-1 lead to start the third, but SMU slowly chipped away and used a 4-0 run to take a four-point lead (12-8), ending on an ace from Carlson. Like the first set, the teams traded big runs, but none bigger than the Mustangs' 5-0 run starting at the 16-13 mark, which put SMU up seven. Casey Batenhorst was at the service line during the stretch and put in back-to-back aces midway through. SMU closed the deal in set three, winning the most lopsided set of the match by a score of 25-17. The Mustangs held the Miners to their lowest hitting percentage of the match in the third set as UTEP hit .114. Malaya Jones led the Mustangs' offensive attack with five kills on nine swings.
 
SET FOUR | Set four was SMU's most complete of the match offensively. The Mustangs hit .400 in the final frame, led by Jones with six kills. Five other players had at least a kill in the frame, as setter Averi Carlson dished the ball around efficiently, ending with 14 assists in the set. SMU looked like it would run away with the set and end the match, up 17-13 on a kill from Rogers. However, the Miners rallied for six of the next seven to tie the match. However, SMU dominated down the stretch after UTEP's run, allowing only two points to go their way for the remainder of the match. SMU won the frame 25-20, ending with consecutive kills from match attack leader, Jones.
 
SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Malaya Jones (17)
SMU Assist Leader: Averi Carlson (45)
SMU Digs Leader: Malaya Jones (17)
SMU Blocks Leader: Natalia Newsome (5)
SMU Ace Leader: Three with (3)
SMU Points Leader: Malaya Jones (19)
 
Up Next: SMU will open ACC play Wednesday night inside Moody Coliseum against No. 5 Pitt. First serve is set for 7 p.m. CT with the match airing on ACC Network.