FORT WORTH, Texas (SMU) – The No. 8 SMU volleyball team suffered its first defeat of the season, dropping a five-set road match to No. 18 TCU (2-1) Wednesday night with set scores of 25-16, 22-25, 16-25, 28-26, 12-15.
Four Mustangs logged double-digit kill matches in the loss, led by Suli Davis, who notched 15 kills and six digs. In her first career match, Freshman Bojana Ambulija was a bright spot for the Mustangs with 13 kills, hitting .241.
Natalia Newsome registered a career-high 13 kills on another impressive hitting percentage, swinging at a .600 clip against the Horned Frogs. Also in double-figures was senior Gabi Placide, who notched 11 kills and five digs.
Victoria Harris also had a career night, with a career-high four aces and a career-best six assists. She also added 14 digs in the match to lead the Mustangs.
The Horned Frogs hit .294 for the match and held SMU to a .204 clip. TCU's block was the story of the match, outblocking the Mustangs 19-5.
MATCH NOTES
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Mustangs jumped on the Horned Frogs early with a 4-0 run to open the match, backed by the service pressure of Gabi Placide. The Mustangs eventually extended their lead to as much as 10 (19-10) with a three-point spurt, which included kills from Placide and Davis. An ace from Davis capped off the run and forced TCU into their second called timeout of the set. The Mustangs went on to win the frame 25-16, tbeir most lopsided set victory of the season to date. SMU hit .409 in the frame, led by Placide, who notched five terminations for the Mustangs. The Mustangs also held a 4-0 advantage in service aces.
SMU got off to another strong start with a 5-0 run to open the second set. TCU kept in contention from that point forward, reaching within one (19-18), forcing SMU into a timeout on an ace, their first of the match. Out of the timeout, a kill by the Horned Frogs tied the set, and then two straight points by TCU gave them their first lead of the match at 21-20. The Horned Frogs closed the frame with four of the final six points to even the match with a 25-22 set two score. TCU's block really came alive in the second set. After having just one in the first, the Horned Frogs logged 4.5 in the second. As a result, the Mustangs hit .225 in the second after hitting .500 in the first.
TCU carried the momentum into the third set, racing to a 15-5 lead. After the media timeout, the Horned Frogs continued to roll and won the set 25-16. The Mustangs held on for four set points with Anyanwu at the service line, but their deficit was too much to overcome. TCU held SMU to a .026 hitting percentage in the set and continued to block well, with six blocks in the third frame.
SMU gathered themselves after the set three defeat with a spirited effort in the fourth. The teams traded points for most of the set, until a four-point swing put the Mustangs up 16-14. SMU got to the red zone first on kills from Davis and Placide, forcing a timeout by TCU at the 20-17 mark. With several points opportunities for the Mustangs, a massive block from Favor Anyanwu and Hannah Beauford, and then a kill from Beauford sent the match to a fifth set with a 28-26 fourth-frame score.
Tied 11-11 in the fifth set, the Horned Frogs scored four of the final five points, capped off with their 19th team block to end the match.
SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Suli Davis (15)
SMU Assists Leader: Hannah Beauford (48)
SMU Digs Leader: Victoria Harris (14)
SMU Blocks Leader: Natalia Newsome (3)
SMU Ace Leader: Victoria Harris (4)
SMU Points Leader: Suli Davis (17.5)
NEXT UP:
No. 8 SMU will travel to face [rv] San Diego on Friday in the final stop of its road stint to begin the 20-2026 season. First serve is slated for 9 p.m. CT in California, and the match will stream on ESPN+.
