Mustangs Volleyball Falls At UCF In C-USA Opener
ORLANDO, Fla. (SMU) – The SMU volleyball team lost 3-0 at UCF in its first Conference USA match of the season, falling to 4-9 overall. The Knights improved to 10-3 with the victory, 1-0 in C-USA play. Kelli Becerra finished with 20 assists and eight digs, while Jessica Oliver led the Mustangs with 11 kills.
The Knights took the match in the third set, scoring six of the last eight points for a 25-20 win. SMU battled back from as many as five down to get within one point, 19-18, but were unable to complete the comeback.
SMU out-blocked the Knights 7-5, led by Courtney Manning, who had six blocks. Dana Powell had a team-high 12 digs, and Sidney Stewart finished with 11.
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Trailing 11-6 in the first set, SMU was forced to call a timeout. The Mustangs scored the next three points to get within two, put the Knights regained control with the next five points. UCF extended the early lead to 21-11 before SMU mounted a comeback attempt. The Mustangs rallied to cut the lead to in half, 22-17, but were never able to gain the lead, falling 25-17.
The Mustangs were unable to hold off the Knights in the second set, falling behind 2-0 with a 25-22 loss in the second set. SMU took an 11-6 lead to start the set, but the Knights increased their attack percentage from .282 to .324 over the course of the set, rallying back to take an 18-16 lead. The Mustangs were able to fight off one set point, but were unable to knot up the match.
SMU will travel to El Paso, Texas for a match against UTEP on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT before returning to Moody Coliseum to host Rice on Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.
