By the numbers: volleyball dumps Houston

[PonyPride]

SMU Postmatch Notes – Oct. 10, 2014
SMU 3, Houston 1 (25-13, 25-18, 23-25, 25-14)
SMU (14-3, 3-2 American), Houston (9-8, 1-4 American)
Moody Coliseum – Dallas, Texas
Next Match:
SMU will host Tulane in Moody Coliseum on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m.
SMU Individual Notes:
• Abbey Bybel (OH, Jr.) – 13 kills (.286%), 11 digs, 2 assists
o 10+ kills in 11 matches
o 10+ digs in 10 matches
• Cailin Bula (OH, Jr.) – 12 kills (.250), 6 digs
o 10+ kills in 9 matches
• Katie Hegarty (OH, Fr.) – 11 kills (.300), 2 digs
o Career-high 11 kills
• Avery Aker (S, Jr.) – 45 assists, 17 digs
o 40+ digs in 7 matches
o 12 matches with double-figure assists and digs
• Morgan Heise (L, So.) – 26 digs
o 26 digs are 3rd most in a match this year (high is 38 at Arkansas on 9/13/14)
o 20+ digs in 4 matches


SMU Notes:
• SMU is now (4-0) in 4 set matches
o 10/10/14 – W, 3-1, vs. Houston
o 10/3/14– W, 3-1, at Cincinnati
o 9/6/14 – W, 3-1, vs.Texas Southern
o 8/30/14 – W, 3-1, vs. Georgia
• SMU out…
o Blocked Houston 12-5
o Killed Houston 54-45
o Hit Houston .264-.101


SMU vs. Houston Notes:
• SMU is now (13-11) all-time against Houston
• SMU is now (8-4) against Houston at home
• SMU has won four consecutive matches over Houston
o 10/10/14 – W, 3-1, vs. Houston
o 11/27/13 – W, 3-0, at Houston
o 10/25/12 – W, 3-1 vs. Houston
o 11/9/12 – W, 3-1 vs. Houston
• SMU has won seven of its last eight over Houston
• SMU has won 10 of its last 12 over Houston
• SMU is (8-1) in home matches in 2014 (* indicates American Athletic Conference match)
o 10/10/14 – W, 3-1, Houston*
o 9/28/14 – W, 3-0, USF*
o 9/26/14 – L, 3-2, UCF*
o 9/20/14 – W, 3-2, New Mexico
o 9/19/14 – W, 3-0, College of Charleston
o 9/19/14 – W, 3-0, Houston Baptist
o 9/6/14 – W, 3-2, Oklahoma
o 9/6/14 – W, 3-1, Texas Southern
o 9/5/14 – W, 3-0, Georgia Tech

Head Coach Lisa Seifert:
• (299-271) all-time
• (143-96) all-time in home matches
• (17-6) all-time in The American
• (10-4) all-time in The American at home

[PonyPride]

Post-match quotes

Head coach Lisa Seifert:
The entire team regrouped (from Sunday's loss at Memphis). The Memphis loss, and with Caroline (Young) being off the court (with an ankle injury) … I'm looking at it as a blessing in disguise, because that's the only way it can be looked at. We used that as fuel to prepare for this weekend.

The other thing that was critical tonight was that we had and event (SMU's annual Dig Pink game, raising money for breast cancer research and awareness) that was bigger than us, bigger than SMU. It was about survival and fighting, and after what happened to us last weekend, we were able to fight and survive. It's like I said to the kids after the match (tonight): we're back and we're back to stay.

One nice thing was that Katie (Hegarty) was a force (with 11 kills). They couldn't dig her. It kind of seemed like they were looking at her, saying, "who was that?" I'm proud of Katie, I'm proud of the team. I'm proud of Katie because she figured out from her performance Sunday that she needed to get composed. We brought her here to be a stud, to fill (Young's) shoes and then some, and she will. She's trying to put a hole in the floor.

With Caroline … there's no other word but "warrior." When she went down Sunday, there was a possibly of a fracture. She had been playing on a weak ankle all year, and then she got hurt again. It was the same ankle. She sprained the same ligament, plus two more. But she said that night, "I will be back, and I'll play Friday." Her pain tolerance is through the roof, so if the doctors said she could play, I knew she would. I played her in the back only, and she did her job really well — she was serving rockets at them. She played great defense, and she was our emotional leader back there. She's in everybody's ear all night, and also keeping everybody loose.

(Avery Acker's) distribution is what keeps the defense off-balance. We had three players with double-digit kills, so they didn't know where we were going next. Avery's the best setter in the conference, and I'd put her work ethic up against anyone in the country.

The numbers we put up tonight are a result of losing Sunday, and the understanding that it's not over, that we still have air in our lungs and we have a new beginning. Even through we were winning matches (during the 11-match winning streak), we were playing tight. Because they're overachievers, they want to be perfect, and you can't be perfect. What we want is pursuit toward excellence. We will attempt to be excellent, and our effort has to be perfect.


Outside hitter Caroline Young:
(On her replacement in the starting lineup, Katie Hegarty): She was great, and she's going to be amazing. I don't think you really got to see tonight how good she is. She's like a combination of Cailin (Bula) and Janelle Giordano — Cailin hits it heavy, and J's ball goes straight down. Katie does both.

Put this in there: I'm like (Seifert) — I hate losing, and I love winning.

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs Defeat Houston 3-1 In Dig Pink Match
Freshman Hegarty scores 11 kills in first start

Oct. 10, 2014

DALLAS (SMU) - The Mustangs defeated Houston 3-1 Friday night in Moody Coliseum, improving to 14-3 overall and 3-2 in the American Athletic Conference. Abbey Bybel led SMU with 13 kills, and Morgan Heise had 26 digs, knocking Houston to 9-8, 1-4 in The American.

After losing the third set by two points, SMU started the fourth set with a 10-2 run, and easily ended the match with a 25-14 win in the fourth. Houston never got within seven points the rest of the set, and freshman Katie Hegarty scored the final kill of the match. Playing the front row in place of injured senior Caroline Young, Hegarty finished with 11 kills, hitting .300 in her first start.

Young, playing the only the back row five days after an ankle injury took her out of a match at Memphis, recorded nine digs and three aces. Cailin Bula gave SMU three attackers with at least 10 kills, scoring 12. Avery Acker posted her 12th double-double of the season with 45 assists and 17 digs. Bybel also had 11 digs for her seventh double-double of the season.

SMU finished the match hitting .264, while holding Houston to a .101 attack percentage. The Mustangs had 54 kills, and posted 12.0 blocks with 74 digs. Kristen Stehling recorded a career-high nine blocks and scored seven kills.

Houston forced a fourth set with a 25-23 win in the third, scoring back-to-back kills after taking a timeout to break a 23-23 tie for the victory. SMU scored five straight to break a 6-6 tie and take an 11-6 lead, but the Cougars battled back, tying the score 15-15. Neither team led by more than one point again until the Cougars scored their 25th point for the win, but the Mustangs weren't able to recapture the lead. SMU had just one block, and hit only .209, while Houston hit .280, its highest attack percentage of the match.

The Mustangs scored 10 points before Houston scored its fourth in the first set. SMU stretched the lead to 10, 17-7, and cruised to a 25-13 win in the opening set. Bula led the offensive attack with five kills, and Bybel scored four. Defensively, Acker and Heise each posted eight digs, with SMU totaling 19. The Mustangs hit .333, while holding Houston to a .022 attack percentage.

SMU took a 2-0 lead in the match with a 25-18 victory in the second set. The Mustangs used another fast start to take control of the set, racing out to an 11-5 lead. Houston scored three straight to cut the lead to three, 11-8, but SMU went on a 9-2 run for a 20-10 lead. With the lead at nine, 22-13, the Cougars used a 5-1 run to battle back, cutting the lead to 23-18. SMU scored the next two points to end the set, 25-18. Bybel again had four kills, leading SMU in the set, and the Mustangs defense recorded four blocks.

The Mustangs host Tulane Sunday at 1 p.m. before going on the road for the next four matches. SMU then returns to Moody Coliseum to host Memphis on Nov. 7.

[DanFreibergerForHeisman]

Thanks for sharing the quotes.

Great win tonight!