SMU Volleyball Sweeps Tournament
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DALLAS (SMU) – The Mustangs won the 2013 SMU Invitational with a thrilling 3-0 victory over Sam Houston State Saturday in the final match (25-23, 28-26, 25-21). The sweep was the second of the weekend for the Mustangs, who lost just one set in the three match tournament. Maddie Lozano hit .304 for the weekend with 23 kills, nine digs and six blocks to earn MVP honors.
Abbey Bybel led SMU (5-2) with 12 kills against the Bearkats (3-5), scoring 27 kills in three matches to earn All-Tournament honors. Avery Acker was also selected for the All-Tournament team, scoring her first double-double of the season with 35 assists and 10 digs Saturday. The sophomore had 122 assists and 32 digs during the tournament. Freshman Morgan Heise was named Best Libero, averaging 3.60 digs per set with a match-high 12 digs against the Bearkats.
After two comeback wins to start the match, it was SMU that built an early lead in the third set. The Mustangs took a 14-10 lead, but the Bearkats pulled to within one, 18-17. Janelle Giordano blasted a kill to push the lead back to two for SMU, sparking a 4-0 run to lead the Mustangs to the 25-21 win and end the match.
SMU twice overcame deficits late in the set to take a 2-0 lead in the match. Trailing 23-19 in the first set, the Mustangs scored six straight points to win 25-23. SMU trailed by as many as five points in the opening set, but kept fighting until they took a 24-23 lead, the first for the Mustangs since holding a 2-1 advantage. In the second set, the Bearkats again built a four-point lead, 14-10, and held the lead until SMU tied the score 20-20. The Mustangs had the first shot at set point, but Sam Houston scored a kill and served an ace to take a 25-24 lead. SMU rallied to win the next point, eventually taking the second set 28-26.
The Mustangs return to the road next, facing San Francisco Friday at 5 p.m. CT at the San Diego State Invite. SMU will play Harvard and Northeastern on Saturday to conclude the third tournament weekend of the season.
