No. 22 volleyball runs past UNI, 3-0

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From SMUMustangs.com:

No. 22 Mustangs Run Past UNI

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (SMU) – No. 22 SMU swept Northern Iowa (5-6) with set scores of 25-16, 25-23, 25-11 in the first of two matches against the Panthers this weekend. With the win, the Mustangs improved to 7-3 on the season, securing their second true road victory of the year.

Maya Tabron led the Mustangs' attack that finished the match with a .333 hitting percentage. Tabron logged 15 kills, hitting .480 with eight digs. Naya Shime also reached double-figures against the Panthers with ten kills and five blocks. Ellie Bolton and Jamison Wheeler led the squad with ten digs each, while Natalie Foster had another dominant day at the net with eight blocks.

Like most of the season, the Mustangs controlled the net, ending the match with 12 blocks, compared to just four from UNI. Setter Celia Cullen guided the club to an efficient hitting performance with 36 assists and six digs.

MATCH NOTES:
The matchup was the first meeting between the two programs.
Naya Shime reached double-figures in kills for the fourth straight match.
SMU has held eight of their ten opponents this season to under .200 hitting. They held UNI to a .040 percentage clip, the second-lowest opponent-hitting percentage the Mustangs have allowed this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

SET ONE | SMU's block frustrated the Panthers from the get-go. SMU made their first move, with three straight points with two attack errors and a service error by UNI to go up 8-4. A 6-0 run opened things up even more for the Mustangs midway through to put SMU up 16-9, which forced a UNI timeout. Tabron was responsible for two points during the sequence with two kills. UNI was unable to recover despite a few runs of their own. SMU capped off the opening set with the final four points, including kills from Foster and Wheeler, to win 25-16. The Mustangs forced UNI into hitting -.059 in the first set and logged five sets to just three for the Panthers.

SET TWO | Both teams began to attack at a better percentage in the second set. After a 3-1 early SMU advantage, UNI eventually positioned themselves in front. The Panthers evened things with a kill at eight a piece and then logged the next four to take a four-point advantage. SMU responded quickly, tying things up at 15-all aided by a three-point swing. Three-point runs for both teams kept the match even at 21. Back-to-back blocks gave SMU a 23-21 lead, followed by two kills by the Panthers, which tied the set again at 23. Fortunately, the Mustangs had the final say, as Maya Tabron ended the set herself, with a kill followed by an ace to claim the second set 25-23.

SET THREE | SMU surged ahead to begin the third set, but UNI never recovered. The Mustangs went up 7-2 and then scored eight of the next 11 to run away with the set. SMU never took their foot off the gas and secured their fifth sweep of the season. The Mustangs hit an impressive .619 in the frame, their highest percentage of the afternoon while forcing the Panthers to hit -.100, their lowest percentage of the match. They also out-blocked the Panthers 3-0. Tabron paced the Mustangs with six kills in the final set.

SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Maya Tabron (15)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (36)
SMU Digs Leader: Ellie Bolton/Jamison Wheeler (10)
SMU Blocks Leader: Natalie Foster (8)
SMU Ace Leader: Brooke Frazier/Foster/Tabron (1)

UP NEXT:
SMU Volleyball takes on Northern Iowa again tomorrow at 1 p.m. CT in Cedar Falls, Iowa.