SMU Volleyball Sweeps Opener
DALLAS (SMU) – Cailin Bula scored 13 kills with just one error, and Janelle Giordano had 13 kills and six blocks to lead the SMU volleyball team to a 3-1 win against UTEP in Moody Coliseum Friday morning to start the 2015 season 1-0.
The Mustangs never trailed in the fourth set, taking a 25-19 victory to end the match. After a third-set loss, SMU scored four of the first five points to start the fourth, and stretched the lead five, 10-5. The Miners rallied to tie the score, 14-14, but SMU scored eight of the last 10 points for the win.
Bula hit a match-high .545 to start her senior campaign and also had three digs and a block. Senior Abbey Bybelposted a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs, and senior setter Avery Acker finished with 51 assists and 19 digs. Morgan Heise, the 2014 American Athletic Conference Libero of the Year, had 22 digs of SMU’s 71 digs.
SMU led 24-22, but the Miners scored the next four points to force a fourth set, winning the third 26-24. UTEP had the early advantage for the third straight set, taking a 14-10 lead, but SMU rallied to take the lead, 17-16. SMU pushed the lead to three, 22-19, before the Miners began the comeback effort, finishing the set with three kills on the last four points.
The Mustangs came from behind to win the first set, 25-19. UTEP took a 10-6 lead, but the Mustangs rallied back to finish with a .256 attack percentage after early mistakes help the Miners build the lead. Still trailing by three, 13-10, SMU scored four of the next five points to tie the score, 14-14. The Mustangs took their first lead of the match three points later, 16-15, and never fell behind again.
SMU held UTEP to just six kills in the second set, winning 25-14 to take a 2-0 lead in the match. The Miners hit -.086 in the set, with the Mustangs recording 18 digs and three blocks in the set. With the scored tied, 8-8, SMU scored eight of the next nine points to take a 16-9 lead, and continued to widen the gap down the stretch. SMU hit .206 with 13 kills and six errors.
The Mustangs finished the match hitting .228, while holding UTEP to a .099 attack percentage. SMU had 58 kills and 10.0 blocks in the season opener.
