SMU Volleyball Defeats Stony Brook

{fshare id=5522}

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (SMU) – The Mustangs swept Stony Brook (25-13, 25-18, 25-22) in the first match of the Arkansas Invitational to improve to 6-1. Caroline Young led SMU with 12 kills, and Cailin Bula scored 11.

SMU held Stony Brook to just 22 kills as a team, with Morgan Heise recording 12 of SMU’s 48 digs. Avery Acker had 11 digs with 30 assists for her sixth double-double of the season. The Mustangs hit .238 in the match, with 42 team kills. Abbey Bybel finished with eight kills and eight digs.

SMU completed the sweep, holding on for a 25-22 win in the third. The Mustangs scored the first four points, but Stony Brook rallied to even the score, 10-10. The set was in the balance, still tied 21-21, before SMU scored three straight to get to match point, 24-21. After the Seawolves posted a block, the serve went into the net to end the match.

The Mustangs scored nine straight points, including a pair of aces from Young, and finished the first set on a 10-1 run to win 25-13. Stony Brook scored six of the first eight points for a four-point lead. Trailing 10-8, SMU scored six consecutive points, taking its first lead and increasing the gap to four, 14-10. The SMU defense held the Seawolves to just three more points en route to the victory.

In the second set, it was SMU taking an early lead, 6-2. Four different Mustangs scored kills during the run. SMU pushed the lead to seven, 15-8, and led by as many as 11 before Young scored the final kill for a 25-18 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. The Mustangs hit .312 in the set, led by Young’s four kills. Heise had five digs in the set, taking her match total to seven.

The Mustangs will take on South Dakota Saturday at 1 p.m. before wrapping up competition at the Arkansas Invitational against the host Razorbacks at 7 p.m.