SMU Volleyball Wins Over Charleston Southern

George Walker | August 25, 2012 | SMU | No Comments

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ATLANTA (SMU) – The SMU volleyball team took a 3-0 victory over Charleston Southern in the first match of the Georgia Tech Courtyard Invitational Friday. Freshman Cailin Bula scored a team-high 12 kills on 15 attacks and had just one error to hit .733 in her first collegiate match.

The Mustangs, whose starting lineup included two freshmen and two sophomores, took each of the final two sets of the match 25-15 after winning the first 25-17 to sweep the Buccaneers. Freshman Avery Acker had 35 assists in her first match, and Caroline Young had nine kills with five digs. Carla Armstrong scored eight kills with eight digs, and libero Susan Lewis had a team-high nine digs.

The Mustangs scored eight of the last nine points to take the first set from the Buccaneers, 25-17. CSU took an early 6-4 lead, but the Mustangs scored six of the next seven points for a 10-7 lead. Armstrong had five of her eight kills in the first set as SMU never trailed again.

SMU started the second set with a string of eight-straight points before Charleston Southern could get on the board. The Mustangs kept the pressure on, holding the Buccaneers to just 14 more points to take a 2-0 lead in the match with the 25-15 victory.

Bula was a perfect 5-for-5 on the attack in the second set, matching Young’s five kills to pace SMU. The Mustangs recorded 17 kills on 27 attacks in the set, hitting .556. Acker had assists on 16 of SMU’s 17 kills, with Lewis getting credit for one assist in the set. Young also had five kills in the second set, and junior transfer Maddie Lozano had four of her seven kills in the set.

The Buccaneers kept the third set close early on, trailing 11-10 after the first 21 points, but SMU scored five of the next six points to take a five-point lead, and Charleston Southern never got within three points again, falling in the final set 25-15.

The Mustangs take on Cal State Fullerton on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT, before closing out the tournament against host Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. CT.