SMU Volleyball Mustangs Hand Tulsa Its First Conference Loss Since 2009 With 3-1 Victory
TULSA, Okla. (SMU) – The SMU volleyball team handed Tulsa its first conference loss of the season with a 3-1 (25-19, 15-25, 25-18, 25-23) win on the road Wednesday night. The Mustangs recorded 15.0 blocks, and Dana Powell earned her 10th double-double of the season with 12 kills and 18 digs in the win.
The SMU victory snapped Tulsa’s seven-match winning streak and a 26-match win streak dating back to 2009. SMU improved to 6-11, 2-3 in Conference USA, while Tulsa fell to 13-5, 4-1 in C-USA.
The Mustangs overcame a four-point deficit late in the fourth set; out-scoring the Golden Hurricane 9-3 down the stretch for a 25-23 win to complete the upset. SMU blocked six attacks in the set, and Jessica Oliver and Powell each had five kills to secure the victory.
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Oliver finished with a team-high 13 kills in match, hitting .308 to continue her hot streak. Courtney Manning had nine blocks, two solo and seven assists, and seven kills. Kelli Becerra scored 26 assists with nine digs, while Sidney Stewart added 14 digs.
SMU started strong, breaking a 7-7 tie in the first set with a 10-2 run to take a commanding 17-9 lead. Tulsa never got back in the set as SMU closed it out for a 25-19 win and an early edge in the match.
After Tulsa took the second set, the Mustangs rebounded in the third, taking a 10-6 lead early in the set. Tulsa rallied to cut the lead to one, but SMU withstood the pressure and extended the lead back to four, 13-9. The Mustangs stretched the lead to seven, 19-12, and went on to win by the same margin, 25-18.
The Mustangs return to Moody Coliseum Saturday to take on Tulane at 2 p.m. SMU is participating in the Side-Out Foundation’s Dig Pink Campaign during the match, an initiative designed to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research. As part of the fundraising effort, SMU athletics will have a silent auction featuring autographed items from SMU head coaches June Jones and Matt Doherty, as well as autographed items from the SMU volleyball program. All proceeds will go directly to breast cancer research.
