SMU
Texas
No. 8 SMU Primed for Top-10 Clash with No. 9 Texas
Sep 8 | Volleyball
#8 SMU (4-1, 0-0 ACC) vs. #9 Texas (3-3, 0-0 SEC)
Wednesday, Sept. 9 • 8:00 p.m. CT
Moody Coliseum • Dallas, Texas
ACC Network • Match Notes • Live Stats • SMU Mobile App
FIRST MATCH IN MOODY
• SMU Volleyball will host No. 9 Texas on Wednesday for its home opener of the 2026 season.
• It marks the first match between SMU and Texas since the 2023 NCAA Tournament and the first time that the Longhorns have visited Moody Coliseum since 2004.
• Wednesday's showdown will be just the second top-10 volleyball matchup at Moody Coliseum, the first being last season's Showdown at the Net matchup against No. 8 Texas A&M.
• The Mustangs have won 11 straight home matches and, with a 12th, will tie the program record for consecutive home wins.
• SMU's only victory in the six-game series history came in 2000 when the Mustangs swept the Longhorns in Dallas. Texas has swept SMU in each of the other five meetings.
• Based on tickets out, the matchup is set to rank second all-time for attendance at a Volleyball match inside Moody Coliseum, trailing the near sellout when Nebraska came to town in 2024.
HOME WINNING STREAK
• The Mustangs have won 11 straight home matches and, with a 12th, will tie the program record for consecutive home wins.
• SMU has had 12 straight home matches on two separate occasions, the latest being from Aug. 29 to Nov. 15 of the 2015 season. The Mustangs went on to appear in the program's first NCAA Tournament that season.
SMU & TEXAS STORYLINES
• Texas standout Cari Spears and SMU stars Favor Anyanwu, Jadyn Livings and Suli Davis all played club volleyball together at Texas Advantage (TAV), winning a national championship in their senior years of high school.
• Spears and Livings also played together at Prestonwood Christian Academy.
• SMU's current president, Jay C. Hartzell, came from Texas, where he served as the university's president for five years. Hartzell assumed the same role on the Hilltop on June 1, 2025.
AVCA RANKINGS
• After splitting their matches last week, the Mustangs held strong at No. 8 in the latest AVCA rankings.
• The Mustangs remain the fourth-highest ranked team in the ACC and the highest-ranked team in the state of Texas.
THE LAST MEETING
• Led by Texas great and USA Volleyball senior National Team member, Madisen Skinner, the Longhorns swept the Mustangs in the second round of the 2023 Tournament. Texas went on to win its fifth National Championship that year.
• SMU's current Director of Operations, Carissa Barnes, was a Libero on that team and was tied for the match lead with 10 digs.
• The last two times SMU and Texas have faced off have been in NCAA Tournament matches in Austin.
TCU AND SAN DIEGO NOTABLES
• Despite the loss to the Horned Frogs, several Mustangs shined, including junior middle blocker Natalia Newsome, who notched a career-high 13 kills on Wednesday.
• Freshman opposite Bojana Ambulija saw her first career action and got her first career start against the Horned Frogs and logged 13 kills and a block.
• Libero Victoria Harris notched a career-best four aces, adding to a 14-dig, six-assist stat line.
• Middle blocker Favor Anyanwu had a career-high eight digs against No. 18 TCU.
• In San Diego, several Mustangs had jaw-dropping performances, starting with Favor Anyanwu, who was a block shy of a triple-double. Anyanwu logged 11 kills, a career-high 11 digs and nine blocks, all while hitting over .400.
• Victoria Harris notched a season-best 23 digs in the win over the Toreros. It marked the 12th time in her career that she earned 20+ kills in a match.
• Suli Davis collected her second double-double of the season with 19 kills and 11 digs in Friday's match at San Diego.
ALMOST IN PARADISE
• SMU Volleyball is one of four teams selected to play in the inaugural Paradise Invitational in the Bahamas from September 11-13. The Mustangs will play two matches at the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar in Nassau, Bahamas, starting with Kentucky on Sept. 12.
• The Paradise Invitational will make its debut as a first-of-its-kind, premium destination, four-team NCAA women's volleyball showcase, bringing together Houston, Kentucky, Purdue and SMU — one elite program from each Power 4 conference.
WHAT A NIGHT IN AT&T STADIUM
• After Spikes Under the Lights, the Mustangs will travel to Fort Collins to battle Colorado State and UC Davis over the weekend.
• The Mustangs look to continue regular season momentum after taking down No. 8 Texas A&M at the Jeep AVCA First Serve in their season opener.
• It will be the fourth trip for SMU Volleyball to Fort Collins, the first since 1999. It will be the sixth matchup between SMU and Colorado State (5-0) and the second meeting between UC Davis and SMU. The first was back in 2010, when the Aggies won a four-setter in Dallas.
