Volleyball earns 3-0 road sweep at (RV) Florida State

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

SMU Earns Road Sweep At Florida State

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (SMU)-- The SMU volleyball team swept (RV) Florida State, 3-0 (25-23, 32-30, 25-19), to kick off the Seminole Invitational on Friday night in Tully Gymnasium.

The sweep marked the second of the season for the Mustangs. Three SMU players registered 10 plus kills in a balanced offensive effort. SMU outhit the Seminoles .295-.258.

Graduate outside hitter Lauren Ohlinger turned in an impressive performance, leading SMU's high-powered offensive attack with a season-high 17 kills on .308 hitting, including eight in the second set. Emma Clothier had 12 kills on .524 hitting and added a pair of blocks. Natalie Perdue added 12 kills.

Naya Shime tallied six kills, nine digs and a block, while Alex Glover chipped in two blocks. Senior setter Celia Cullen passed out 32 assists and added nine digs. Defensively, junior libero Brooke Frazier led the Mustangs with 15 digs and added seven assists. Sina Uluave recorded 11 digs and an assist.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Set One:
Starting the match for SMU were Celia Cullen, Alex Glover, Jamison Wheeler, Emma Clothier, Natalie Perdue, Naya Shime and Brooke Frazier. Clothier came out on fire in her return to Florida State, notching a trio of kills and a block to give SMU its first four points of the match. Three unanswered pushed the Mustangs out to a 7-4 lead. The teams traded blows until the media timeout, where SMU led 15-14. Out of the break, Ohlinger recorded her fourth kill of the set. The Seminoles took six out of seven points to force an SMU timeout. A pair of FSU service errors followed by an Ohlinger ace brought the Mustangs within one. Three straight kills from Shime, Perdue and Clothier gave SMU a 23-22 advantage. With the set knotted at 23 apiece, Perdue's fifth kill of the frame and an FSU set error gave SMU the 25-23 edge.

Set Two:
SMU countered four straight Seminole points with three of its own to open the set. Neither team could create separation early. Ohlinger's fifth kill of the night put SMU ahead 10-8. SMU led 15-13 courtesy of three consecutive kills by Ohlinger. Ohlinger added to her impressive performance with a block that put SMU ahead 19-18 heading into the final stretch of the set. Facing a one-point deficit, Ohlinger and Perdue posted back-to-back kills to provide SMU with a 22-21 lead. A Shime kill and Perdue block countered four unanswered from FSU and tied the match at 24 apiece. Neither team would give in during the set's final stretch, which saw several ties and lead changes. An assisted block from Glover and Shime put the Mustangs up, and a Perdue kill sealed the set for SMU.

Set Three:
The Mustangs dominated wire-to-wire in the final set. SMU jumped out to an early lead. The Seminoles fought back, but SMU took four out of five points to gain early separation. A pair of Clothier kills kept SMU out in front by four. SMU took six out of seven points, forcing an FSU timeout, leading 22-14. The Seminoles made a late push, but Ohlinger's 17th kill finished off the match 25-19.

FROM THE COACHES
"What a unique and exciting opportunity to play at Florida State on the day we are announced going to the ACC," Head Coach Sam Erger said. "They are a perennial ACC power in the upper echelon of that conference. They have an incredible volleyball environment. We had a total team win, highlighted by elite performances from our lefts and Emma Clothier. I couldn't be more proud."

SMU LEADERS
SMU Kills Leader: Lauren Ohlinger (17)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (32)
SMU Digs Leader: Brooke Frazier (15)
SMU Blocks Leader: Alex Glover/Emma Clothier (2)
SMU Ace Leader: Lauren Ohlinger (3)

TEAM RECORDS SERIES NOTES
With the win, SMU moved to 2-2 on the year.
SMU recorded its second sweep of the season.
Friday was the first ever matchup between SMU and Florida State. SMU is 1-0 all-time against Florida State.
Friday's win marked SMU's first road victory of the 2023 season.

TEAM NOTES
Three different Mustangs recorded 10+ kills for the first time this season.
Three different Mustangs recorded 5+ kills for the third time this season.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES:

Lauren Ohlinger led the Mustangs with a season-high (17) kills.
Brooke Frazier led the Mustang defense in digs (15) for the second consecutive match, and third out of four games. Frazier's 15 digs tied her season high.
Emma Clothier and Alex Glover led the Mustangs in total blocks (2) for the second consecutive match.
Celia Cullen has led the Mustangs in assists in all four matches. The senior setter passed out 32 on Friday.

UP NEXT
SMU is back in action at noon CT on Saturday against Auburn at the Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, Florida.

[Terry Webster]

Our first ACC win!