Volleyball falls in five sets at Hawaii

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Volleyball Falls In Five-Set Thriller to Hawaii

HONOLULU, Hawaii (SMU) – SMU Volleyball fell to (RV) Hawaii in their first match of the 2024 season as part of the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic Friday night. The Mustangs took the first set convincingly, but fell in five sets to the Rainbow Warriors.

In her SMU debut, Maya Tabron led the way for the Mustangs with a double-double on 15 kills and 12 digs, both team highs. Naya Shime also logged double-digit kills with 11 against Hawaii. Ellie Bolton finished with 11 digs in her first match as a Mustang.

Nnedi Okammor spearheaded the Mustangs' defensive efforts at the net, logging seven total blocks, followed by Shime and Tabron, who each had six total blocks and a combined five solo blocks. Celia Cullen finished the night with 41 assists.

TEAM NOTES:
As a team, the Mustangs hit .188 against Hawaii while holding the 'Bows to a .090 percent clip.
SMU took Hawaii to five sets for the first time in program history.
The Mustangs had six solo blocks on the night. The last time SMU did so was against Temple last year on November 22.
SMU also finished with 16 team blocks to just six from Hawaii.
SMU Volleyball now moves to 18-11 in season opening matches and 2-1 in the Erger era.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE | SMU controlled the opening set from the beginning, earning the first three points, with two of the three coming on kills from Nnedi Okammor. A six-point run from the Mustangs stretched their lead to seven (11-4), which forced a Hawaii timeout. SMU eventually pushed their lead to a commanding, leading by as much as 18 at the end of the first set, thanks to another six-point run to close out the set with a 25-7 victory. The Mustangs finished the set hitting .647.

SET TWO | Hawaii got off to an early 5-1 lead in the second set. The Mustangs fought back to within one (5-4), but the 'Bows continued to respond. SMU fought back to within one on a block from both Natalie Foster and Maya Tabron, but Hawaii pushed their lead back out to four. A 4-0 run from the Mustangs evened the score at 21-all, capped off by an ace from Tabron, but Hawaii closed the set, scoring three of the last four to even the match set total at 1-1.

SET THREE | Set three was another tightly contested one. Both teams jockeyed for leads with ten tiebreakers and four lead changes. After Hawaii took an 8-4 lead early, a solo block from Naya Shime evened the score at 11. The two teams traded points until a four-point swing went the Mustangs' way, giving them a 22-18 edge. Hawaii responded with a run of their own to tie the set (22-22). SMU found themselves down 24-23, but another kill from Shime, followed by an attack error and a solo block from Jamison Wheeler, secured the third set for the Mustangs.

SET FOUR | Set four was another battle, as both teams went back and forth like set three. Hawaii was the first to create some separation, taking a five-point lead (13-8) due to four straight kills midway through. SMU answered by earning six of the following seven points to tie things at 14. After trading runs, Hawaii maneuvered their way to a three-point edge as they kept fighting to keep the match alive, down 2-1. The Mustangs got back within one with two kills from Tabron, but Hawaii answered with the final three to force a deciding fifth set.

SET FIVE | In the deciding set, Hawaii held an 8-5 lead entering the midway media timeout. However, SMU clawed their way back to a 10-10 tie on a Tabron kill, assisted by Shime. The 'Bows rallied for three straight points, followed by a three-point Mustangs run to tie the set back up at 13-all. Unfortunately, SMU couldn't close the match out, as Hawaii notched the final two points to claim a 3-2 on their home court.

SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Maya Tabron (15)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (41)
SMU Digs Leader: Maya Tabron (12)
SMU Blocks Leader: Nnedi Okammor (7)
SMU Ace Leader: Natalie Foster (3)

UP NEXT:
SMU will return for night two of the Hawaiian Airlines Rainbow Wahine Classic on Saturday against (RV) San Diego at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center. Follow along with the SMU Volleyball program on Instagram, X, Facebook.