SMU Volleyball Sweeps Cincinnati
DALLAS (SMU) – Janelle Giordano set an SMU record for most blocks in a three-set match, posting 12 to lead the SMU volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-18) victory over Cincinnati in Moody Coliseum Friday night. The sweep is SMU’s eighth of the season, and fifth in the last eight matches.
The Mustangs (18-3, 8-1 American Athletic Conference) erased an early 5-2 deficit, winning the third set 25-18 to complete the sweep. The set was tightly contested once SMU came back, tying the score 6-6. Neither team led by more than two points, and the score was tied five more times before the Mustangs scored five straight to take an 18-14 lead. The Bearcats never got closer than two points down the stretch, falling to 13-7, 5-4 in The American, with the loss.
Abbey Bybel led the SMU offense as the only Mustang in double figures, scoring 13 kills and hitting .357. Morgan Heise has 22 of SMU’s 52 digs. SMU had 15 blocks as the defense held Cincinnati to a .092 attack percentage. Avery Acker finished with 35 assists and eight digs.Cailin Bula also had nine kills and five blocks for SMU. Carly Nolan had 13 kills to lead the Bearcats, and Jordan Thompson scored 12, but the rest of the Cincinnati team combined for only 10 more.
Giordano had five of SMU’s six blocks in the first set, and Abbey Bybel blasted seven kills as the Mustangs took a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-18 victory over the Bearcats. Cincinnati was held to a .094 attack
percentage, while SMU hit .285 with 14 kills in the opening set. With the score tied, 6-6, SMU went on a 5-1 run to take an 11-7 lead. The Bearcats scored the next two points to cut the lead in half. With the lead still just two, 15-13, SMU used a 6-2 run to take complete control, pushing the lead to six, 21-15. SMU went on to win by seven, 25-18.
After five blocks in the first set, Giordano had just two in the second, but her block with Bula gave SMU a 26-25 lead. Brittany Adams came through on the next point with a kill to give SMU a 27-25 win and a 2-0 lead in the match. The Mustangs took a 9-4 lead to start the match, scoring four kills with a block and an ace during the stretch. The lead was still four, 14-10, for the Mustangs when Cincinnati started rallying back. The Bearcats cut the lead in half with the next two points. SMU scored back-to-back points, giving the Mustangs four opportunities at set point. Cincinnati scored five straight points to take a 25-24 lead, looking to even the match. SMU countered the momentum shift with three unanswered to win 27-25.
The Mustangs host Memphis Sunday at 1 p.m. SMU will wear special pink jerseys in an effort to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research in conjunction with the SMU Athletics “Mustangs for a Cure” initiative.
