There is no easing into ACC play for the SMU volleyball team this season.

The Mustangs open with No. 5 Pittsburgh, back-to-back. They host the Panthers on Wednesday before traveling to Pitt on Sunday. But the fifth-ranked Mustangs are tested through the 10-game nonconference schedule.

"We're definitely getting better. We're better at the end of noncon than where we started," SMU head coach Sam Erger said. "Which, that's the goal. We're significantly better than where we were when we started. The ACC, it's so tough, and we play the team that's picked to win it twice in a row to start."

The Panthers were picked to win the ACC this preseason by the conference coaches, earning 10 of the 18 first-place votes. When SMU played its back-to-back games against Pittsburgh last year, they were the fifth and sixth conference games of the year. 

This time, the Mustangs will have to build off lessons from the nonconference schedule, including a pair of tough, 3-1 losses at No. 3 Kentucky and to No. 10 Purdue in Lexington.

"In both of those games, we had chances to go up (2-0)," Erger said. "We won the first set in both of them, and then we had either momentum or a chance to go two up. Against Kentucky, we started Set 2 on a 6-2 run … and then we let them back in. And then against Purdue, I think we were up 22-21 or something in the second set to go win it. So, if you have opportunities, you need to seize them. Good teams are not going to lay down and die."

Even though the Mustangs came into their first ACC season coming off a conference title and two-round run in the NCAA tournament, there were questions about how they would handle a power conference schedule.

They finished fourth in the conference and were the only conference loss for champion Pitt a year ago. And coming into ACC play this year ranked 11th in the country, SMU knows it isn't going to sneak up on anyone anymore. 

"We're getting everybody's best game," Erger said. "We've proven that we can do really well in the RPI. … It's totally different being the hunted. We've been saying, 'Hey, we don't care. We're also going hunting. We're going to hunt right back.' But yeah, we're getting every coach's best game plan. Nobody's overlooking us."

While SMU is feeling the effects of the success being built, this year's roster is very different. Only four players remain from last year's team. This offseason the Mustangs added veteran setter Averi Carlson — who earned her third ACC Setter of the Week honor this past week — and senior outside hitter Madison Scheer from power conference programs.

But the rest of the pieces are either young without much experience — like Favor Anyanwu and Jadyn Livings — or veterans like Malaya Jones and Jordyn Schilling who are getting their first power conference experience. Not to mention freshmen Christa Wilburn and Maggie Croft, who have received significant playing time this season.

"I think we've learned that this team wants to fight and wants it," Erger said. "We just need to become, honestly, more skilled. … We need to train, and we need to get better because these players have the right mindset, but they're, honestly, just not good enough yet. They're good, but I'm talking about trying to go from good to great. Last year, we were very skilled, but we capped out. This team is nowhere near capped out."

The potential this year's team has is why Erger believes a conference championship isn't out of the question. While the Mustangs might not be the favorite, they aren't far behind the likes of Pittsburgh, Louisville and Stanford.

That brings an added level of excitement to conference play.

"I think the ACC is more open than it's ever been. I will be very surprised if the champion goes undefeated," Erger said. "I don't see that happening. … I'm super excited for it to be more open than it's ever been and feel like we legitimately have a chance to maybe go win a championship. You don't always feel that way, and I feel like we at least are in the conversation."