Volleyball tops San Diego, 3-1, in Wahine Classic

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

Mustangs Defeat San Diego to Closeout Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classic

HONOLULU, Hawaii (SMU) – The (RV) SMU volleyball team earned their first win of the 2024 season in their final match of the Hawaiian Airlines Wahine Volleyball Classis, with a 3-1 victory over (RV) San Diego with sets scores of 26-24, 25-16, 19-25, and 25-11.

Jamison Wheeler led the Mustangs with 17 kills while hitting .333 and eight digs. Maya Tabron earned her second consecutive double-double, logging 14 kills and 11 digs while hitting .370. Naya Shime also reached double-figures in kills, with 15 on the night while hitting .342.

Celia Cullen had another solid performance as the quarterback of the Mustangs' attack. Cullen finished with 40 assists and seven digs. Natalie Foster was a force at the net, ending the match with seven total blocks and three service aces.

MATCH NOTES:
The Mustangs improve to 1-1 in their first season in the ACC.
SMU now leads the overall series over San Diego 2-1.
The Mustangs hit .393 against the Toreros Saturday night, with three players with 10+ kills.
HOW IT HAPPENED:

SET ONE | San Diego created some separations after his trading points to open the match. After the Toreros tied things at six on a kill, they outscored the Mustangs 8-3 to take their largest lead of the first set (14-9). SMU held strong despite trailing to even the score at 18-18 due to a four-point run, capped off by a pair of service aces from Ellie Bolton, which forced a San Diego timeout. Both teams battle to close out the set. San Diego held on for two match points, but Maya Tabron put the set away with a kill to take the first set 26-24.

SET TWO | The Mustangs were the front runners in set two, holding a two to three point until the middle portion of the set. A three-point swing, started by a kill from Shime, gave SMU the momentum they needed to stretch their lead late. The Mustangs led 19-14 after the run and kept their foot on the gas. SMU went on to score seven of the final nine points in the second frame to go up 2-0 with a 25-16 set score.

SET THREE | The Toreros kept battling to keep the match alive. Both squads dual for the first half of the set, ending up at a 15-15 tie. San Diego made a run shortly after to create a cushion, scoring four straights to take a 19-15 lead. The two teams traded the following five points but another spurt for the Toreros forced an SMU timeout as they found themselves down five (23-18). SMU got one back after the short break, but San Diego closed out the third set to force another, winning set three 25-19.

SET FOUR | SMU dominated the fourth, controlling pace the entire way. They hit their highest percentage of .450 in the fourth in a collective effort, as five players earned kills in the final frame of the match. The Mustangs made their move at the 6-6 mark with a six-point scoring run. SMU got 13 of the last 18 points to go their way, including the final four points on kills from Shime and Cullen, along with a pair of aces from Natalie Perdue. The Mustangs took the set 25-11 and secured their first win of their 2024 campaign.

SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Jamison Wheeler (17)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (40)
SMU Digs Leader: Maya Tabron (11)
SMU Blocks Leader: Natalie Foster (7)
SMU Ace Leader: Natalie Foster (3)

UP NEXT:
SMU will host 2023 National runner-up #2 Nebraska at Moody Coliseum on Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. CT.