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SMU plays UNI Today

Won 3-0. Have them again on Sunday.

won 3-0 again UNI

From SMUMustangs.com:

Wheeler Paces No. 22 Mustangs To Sunday Win Over UNI

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (SMU) – No. 22 SMU earned their eighth win of the season to close out non-conference play, taking down UNI in four-set, 25-19, 21-25, 25-17, 25-18, Sunday afternoon.

Jamison Wheeler had her best outing of the season, logging a season-high 21 kills while hitting .383 against the Panther. Wheeler and Maya Tabron had double-doubles Sunday afternoon with 13 and 11 digs, respectfully, as Tabron finished the match with 12 kills.

Ellie Bolton notched her third straight double-digit dig outing, collecting 12 digs against the Panthers. Nnedi Okammor and Tabron led the Mustangs with four blocks each.

As a unit, SMU hit .280 and held UNI to a .169 hitting percentage. The Mustangs won the battle in digs 50-46, blocks 8-5, and service aces 11-6. Setter Celia Cullen dished out 42 assists, her second-highest mark of the season.

MATCH NOTES:
Freshman middle Natalia Newsome got her first career start Sunday against the Panthers.
SMU will bring a three-game win streak into ACC play.
With this weekend's results, SMU leads the overall series over UNI 2-0.
Jamison Wheeler needs 15 more kills to reach 1,000 for her career.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

SET ONE | SMU and UNI jockeyed for position for the first half of the opening set. Neither team could create some separation until late, as the Mustangs used a three-point run to take a 19-15 lead. SMU finished the first set, hitting .324 with 14 kills and just three attack errors, and used that efficient attack to close the set, outscoring the Panthers 6-4 in the final quarter of the first frame to win the set 25-19. The Mustangs forced UNI to hit .111 in the opening set.

SET TWO | The Mustangs held the early 6-2 lead in set two, but UNI was able to climb back to tie things at 9-9. UNI eventually broke through later in the set after staying within a point or two for most of the frame and claimed as much as a four-point lead (21-17). A kill from Wheeler got the Mustangs within two (22-20), but UNI finished with points on three of the following four rallies to win 25-21 and even the set score at 1-1.

SET THREE | The Mustangs responded well out of the intermission, coming out of the break firing on all cylinders. They took a 5-2 lead early and moments later went on a 4-0 run to take a 9-3 advantage. SMU put their stamp on the match midway through, going on a 7-1 run to blow the set wide open. The stretch put the Mustangs up 21-12; from there, they closed the set out to win 25-17. The tandem of Wheeler (7) and Tabron (5) combined for 12 kills in the frame on a combined 17 swings. SMU finished with their best hitting percentage of the night at a .370 percent clip and paired that with five aces.

SET FOUR | SMU had another dominant stretch in the middle of set four, which made all the difference and secured the Mustangs the win. A service error by UNI evened the score in the frame 7-7, and from there, SMU put their foot on the gas. SMU went on a 12-4 scoring run to go up comfortably 19-11. UNI stopped the bleeding with a four-point spurt that gave UNI some life. After an SMU timeout to regroup, UNI closed the gap even more, closing the gap to two at 19-17, for six straight Panther points. However, SMU closed the set and the match with six of the final seven points to win the frame 25-18 and the match in four sets.

SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Jamison Wheeler (21)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (42)
SMU Digs Leader: Maya Tabron (13)
SMU Blocks Leader: Nnedi Okammor/Maya Tabron (4)
SMU Ace Leader: Natalie Foster (4)

UP NEXT:
SMU Volleyball will begin ACC play on the road against Georgia Tech on Friday, Sept. 27, at 6:00 p.m. CT.