No. 23 volleyball sweeps third ranked opponent: Georgia Tech

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

No. 23 Mustangs Sweep No. 13 Georgia Tech For First ACC Win

ATLANTA (SMU) – No. 23 SMU swept their third-ranked opponent this season, taking down No. 13 Georgia Tech on the road in straight sets 25-22, 25-20, and 25-21 Friday night in their ACC debut. With the victory, the Mustangs improved to 9-3 overall.

The Mustangs hit .400 for the match, led by Naya Shime, who hit .520, and Maya Tabron, who each put down 14 kills against the Yellow Jackets. Tabron led the way in blocks with five while Natalie Foster closely followed with four, as the Mustangs controlled the net with eight blocks on the night compared to just three by Georgia Tech. Celia Cullen was the catalyst for the Mustangs' efficient offense with 36 assists.

MATCH NOTES:

SMU has now swept No. 2 Nebraska, No. 13 Georgia Tech, and No. 18 Baylor in their first season in the ACC, two of the three on the road.
SMU Volleyball is now 4-1 on the road this season.
The Mustangs lead the all-time series over the Yellow Jackets 3-2 and have won the last two meetings.
With seven kills Friday night, Jamison Wheeler needs eight more to reach 1,000 for her career.
Celia Cullen 36 assists Friday night put her 12 assists away from 4,000 assists for her career.
Coach Erger now has knocked off four ranked teams in her three years as head coach.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

SET ONE | No separation was created to start the match, with each team trading points at the beginning. Both teams hit at a high clip early, each over .400 for most of the frame. Tabron led the way early for the Mustangs with three early kills. SMU started their move by using a 3-0 run to take a three-point lead after the yellow Jacket kill evened the score at 18-18. Georgia Tech followed with a three-point run of their own to tie the set again at 21-all, forcing an SMU timeout. An attack error from the Yellow Jackets stopped the run, followed by a kill from Okammor, which put the Mustangs back in front by two. SMU went on to close the first set out with a block from Cullen and Okammor, followed by a kill from Tabron, her fifth of the set to win the opening frame 25-22. After an outstanding performance in the Mustangs' last match, where she logged a season-high 21 kills, Wheeler paced the Mustangs with seven kills in the opening frame, and as a team, SMU hit .417.

SET TWO | SMU went up early, earning the biggest lead by either team in the second set, up five (10-4) thanks to a five-point run ending with another kill from Tabron. Georgia Tech punched back midway through the second frame, climbing to within three (16-13), but the Mustangs had another quality response, collecting five of the next six points, three of the six coming on kills from Tabron. Another strong run by Georgia Tech closed the gap even closer as the Yellow Jackets slashed the SMU lead to two at 21-19 with a 6-0 run, but SMU weathered the storm and responded the best way they could with the final four points. Tabron led the Mustangs early in the set, but Shime closed things out for SMU in the second set. She put down the final two points on kills and led the set with seven on 12 kills. Again, the Mustangs hit efficiently at an even .400 percent clip.

SET THREE | The Mustangs went up early again on the Yellow Jackets, taking a 3-0 lead to start the third set. A four-point stretch for Georgia Tech gave them the advantage back at 6-5 as they attempted to prevent being swept. The Yellow Jackets hung around, similar to the end of the second frame, keeping themselves within striking distance for most of the third set. SMU went up four or five on three separate instances throughout the third set, the first coming on a kill from Tabron to go up 17-13. The Yellow Jackets answered with three straight to reach within one at 17-16, but a Shime kill sparked a four-point swing for the Mustangs to go up five (21-16). Another late push by the Yellow Jackets cut SMU's lead down to two at 21-19, but that was the last run the Mustangs allowed. SMU secured four of the final six points to win the set and the match on two kills from Tabron, a kill from Foster, and a service error by the Yellow Jackets to cap things off. Shime and Tabron closed out the match with four kills each in the final frame.

SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Naya Shime/Maya Tabron (14)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (36)
SMU Digs Leader: Ellie Bolton (6)
SMU Blocks Leader: Maya Tabron (5)
SMU Ace Leader: Maya Tabron (2)

UP NEXT:
No. 23 SMU Volleyball will continue their road trip Sunday with a matchup at Clemson at 12:00 p.m. CT.

[PonyTales]

Volleyball is absolutely killing it this year.