Volleyball sets new wins record with sweep of UCF

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From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs Win Program-Record 27th Match With 3-0 Victory Against UCF
Giordano breaks single-season blocks records

Nov. 27, 2015

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU defeated UCF 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-21) in the regular-season finale for a program-record 27th win of the season, improving to 27-5 overall, 17-3 in the American Athletic Conference. Janelle Giordano finished with six blocks, setting a single-season record with 185 as a junior, passing Courtney Manning, who posted 184 in 2011. The mark is also an American Athletic Conference record.

The Mustangs won the third set, 25-21, to complete their 15th sweep of the season. Trailing 19-18, SMU scored six of the next eight points for the win, including the last three straight. Neither team led by more than two points until the final stretch.

SMU hit .317 as a team with 49 kills, and held UCF to a .112 attack percentage with just 32 kills. Cailin Bula led the Mustangs with 13 kills, and Kristen Stehling scored 11. Giordano had seven kills to go with the six blocks. Abbey Bybel scored nine kills, and Katie Hegarty finished with seven. Avery Acker posted 43 assists, and Morgan Heise finished with 23 digs.

The Mustangs hit .412 with 17 kills, and held UCF to just eight kills en route to a 25-15 victory in the first set. With the score tied, 3-3, SMU went on a 6-1 run to take a five-point lead, 9-4. The Mustangs stretched the lead to eight, 18-10, and scored the last two points of the set for the 10-point victory. Giordano led SMU with five kills, and Heise had 10 digs in the set.

SMU held off a late charge by the Knights in the second set to win 25-21 for a 2-0 lead in the match. The Mustangs held a six-point lead, 19-13, before UCF went on a 6-2 run, cutting the lead to two, 21-19. SMU scored three of the next four to get to set point, 24-20. After a UCF kill, Hegarty blasted her sixth kill of the match to give SMU the win. SMU had three blocks in the set, holding UCF to a .088 attack percentage in the set.

The NCAA Tournament selection show is Sunday at 8 p.m. CT on ESPNU. SMU will host a watch party in the Miller Club at Moody Coliseum.