SMU
Stanford
No. 5 SMU Begins ACC Play Against No. 12 Stanford, Cal
Sep 24 | Volleyball
#5 SMU (8-2, 0-0 ACC) vs. #12 Stanford (7-3, 0-0 ACC)Â Â Â
Friday, Sept. 25 • 8 p.m. CT   Â
Moody Coliseum • Dallas, Texas Â
ACC Network • Match Notes • Live Stats • SMU Mobile App   Â
#5 SMU (8-2, 0-0 ACC) vs. California (10-1, 0-0 ACC) Â
Sunday, Sept. 27 • 1 p.m. CT Â
Moody Coliseum • Dallas, Texas Â
ACC Network • Match Notes • Live Stats • SMU Mobile App   Â
LET ACC PLAY BEGIN Â
• No. 5-ranked SMU begins conference play this weekend as it hosts No. 12 Stanford and California on Friday and Sunday, respectively. Â
• SMU ended non-conference play 8-2 with three ranked wins, all against top-10 teams so far this season. Â
• The Mustangs enter conference play on a two-match winning streak with wins against Rice and Yale. Â
• Friday's match against Stanford will be the sixth ranked team the Mustangs will have faced in the first 11 matches of the year. Â
• Friday's match starts a 20-match ACC slate for SMU. Â
• The Mustangs finished third in the ACC last season, one match behind Co-Champions Pitt and Stanford. Â
RANKED MATCHUP IN MOODY
• Friday's match against No. 12 Stanford is the second-ranked match in three home outings for the Mustangs this season. Â
• Under Coach Erger, the Mustangs are 5-5 against ranked opponents at home. Â
• The Mustangs have won two of the last three matches against ranked opponents in Moody. Â
MOODY MAGIC: HOME WINNING STREAK Â
• SMU has won 13 straight home matches inside Moody Coliseum, the longest streak in program history. Â
• The Mustangs look to continue that streak against Stanford on Friday night. Â
• 13-straight wins at home is tied for the 4th-longest streak in the nation, trailing Pittsburgh (56), Kentucky (27) and UNI (14). Â
ACC PLAY DOMINANCE
• The Mustangs enter Friday's match on a nine-match ACC winning streak, the longest active streak in the conference. Â
• The last loss for the Mustangs was a five-set loss on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025, at No. 21 North Carolina. Â
HOLDING STRONG AT NO. 5
• After two sweeps over Rice and Yale to close out non-conference play, SMU volleyball stays at No. 5 in the latest AVCA-Taraflex Division I WVB Poll (Sept. 21, 2026) Â
• It is the highest ranking in program history for the second week in a row. Â
• SMU has been ranked by the AVCA in 33 consecutive polls dating back to week three of the 2024 season. Â
WEEK 4 NOTABLES
• SMU earned its second and third sweep of the season in wins over Rice and Yale. Â
• The Mustangs held their two opponents to a combined .106 hitting percentage, which led the conference. The Mustangs held Yale to a .091 hitting percentage, the lowest SMU has forced this season. Â
• Natalia Newsome hit .652 this week to lead the ACC and rank seventh in the nation. Â
• Favor Anyanwu has become one of the best servers on SMU's roster this season despite not ever being a primary server in years past. Anyanwu logged seven aces last week in two matches, ranking fourth-best in the nation. She entered the season with only one ace in her collegiate career and now has eight this season through 10 matches. Â
• Junior outside hitter Jadyn Livings saw her first action of the season in the third set and registered her first kill. The outing was Livings' first appearance since Dec. 6, 2025, SMU's NCAA Second Round match against Florida, where she tore her ACL. Â
SMU VS. STANFORD
• Friday's match against Stanford is the third match in the series between the two programs. Â
• The series is tied at 1-1 with SMU winning the most recent matchup in Palo Alto, 3-1. Â
• The Mustangs snapped Stanford's 11-match ACC winning streak in that meeting a year ago, which was the longest streak in the ACC entering the match at the time. Â
• Stanford enters the match 7-3 and ranked No. 12 in the country. Â
SMU VS. CAL
• Sunday's meeting with Cal is the fourth meeting all-time between the two programs. The Mustangs have won the last two meetings. Â
• The Bears enter 10-1 and are winners of their last eight matches, the second-longest streak in the ACC behind Pittsburgh. Cal will play the Panthers on Friday for its ACC opener before Sunday's matchup in Moody. Â
• SMU swept Cal in the last season, hitting .468 for the match while holding the Bears to a .115 clip.
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MOODY ATTENDANCE
• SMU's home opener against Texas on Sept. 9 drew the second-largest crowd for a volleyball match in program history. It was also the most-attended match by SMU students for volleyball in program history. Â
• The first 19 highest attended home matches at Moody Coliseum have all been since 2022, when Coach Erger took over the program.
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SMU HOME ATTENDANCE RECORDS:
1. #2 Nebraska - 6,773 - 9/3/24 Â
2. #9 Texas - 6,207 - 9/9/26 Â
3. #8 Texas A&M - 3,076 - 9/9/25 Â
4. #4 Louisville - 3,015 - 10/27/24 Â
5. #5 Pittsburgh - 2,950 - 9/24/25
SHOWTIME SULI LEADING THE MUSTANGS Â
• In non-conference action, Suli Davis has been one of the top point scorers not only in the ACC but in the country. Â
Kills Per Set (12th Nationally & 2nd ACC) Â
Points Per Set (15th Nationally & 3rd ACC) Â
Through 9/20/26 Â
NEWSOME'S EFFICIENCY Â
• Natalia Newsome is the most efficient middle in SMU Volleyball history. Over her career, she is hitting at a .458 clip, .105 higher than the next-best player. Â
• This season she is hitting a team and career-best .524 with 75 kills and only nine attacking errors. She has hit .533 or better in seven matches this season, all of which she has had eight or more swings. Â
• She leads the ACC in the category and is just under the NCAA threshold to qualify on their list. She would rank second in the nation with her current percentage.
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