Four Mustangs Earn All-Conference USA Honors

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IRVING, Texas (SMU) – Courtney Manning highlighted a group of four Mustangs who earned All-Conference USA accolades, being named to the first team after leading the league in blocks, conference officials announced Wednesday.

Dana Powell earned her third consecutive honor after being named to the second team and is the first player in school history to earn all-conference honors all four years, being selected to the C-USA All-Freshman team in 2008. Jessica Oliver joined Powell on the second team, the second award of her career, and Caroline Young was named to the C-USA All-Freshman Team.

Manning led the conference and is 11th in the NCAA with 1.76 blocks per set. The junior has a nation-leading 178 total blocks this season, breaking her own SMU single-season record. She is also third on the team in kills and has 77 digs as a middle blocker. The Mesquite, Texas native is currently third all-time at SMU and 11th in C-USA history with 468 blocks.

Powell, a senior, leads SMU for the third-straight year with 365 kills and is also second on the team with 453 digs. She became the first person in school history with at least 1,500 kills and digs in a career, ranking second in both categories with 1,529 kills and 1,622 digs. The two-time All-America Honorable Mention honoree from Tulsa, Okla., also has 72 blocks this season, climbing into the top-10 at SMU with 265 in her career.

Oliver, a senior from Plano, Texas became the 10th person in school history with at least 1,000 kills, scoring 364 times this season to push her career total to 1,043. She also has 125 blocks, climbing to fifth all-time at SMU and 17th in C-USA history with 431.

Young had a stellar freshman campaign, ranking fourth on the team with 243 kills, averaging 2.23 per set. She also has 57 blocks and 41 digs in 109 sets this season. The Brenham, Texas native is the first Mustang named to the all-freshman team since Powell earned the honor in 2008.

The Mustangs wrap up the regular season against Tulsa Saturday in Moody Coliseum at 1 p.m. SMU snapped the Golden Hurricane’s 26-match conference win streak with a 3-1 victory in Tulsa on Oct. 5, Tulsa’s only conference loss this season. Powell and Oliver, as well as Sidney Stewart and Kelli Becerra, will be honored in a pre-match ceremony as SMU celebrates Senior Day.

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