No. 10 volleyball wins five-set thriller over LSU

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From SMUMustangs.com:

No. 10 volleyball wins five-set thriller over LSU

Wilburn breaks rally scoring ace record in collegiate debut

DALLAS (SMU) – The No. 10 SMU volleyball team defeated LSU in five sets to open its 2025 campaign with set scores of 25-20, 20-25, 23-25, 25-16 and 15-12.

Malaya Jones led the Mustangs with 20 kills while hitting .341, with eight digs and three blocks. Jadyn Livings followed with 13 kills, nine digs, and five blocks. Favor Anyanwu finished the match with seven kills and nine blocks. Jordyn Schilling dug 23 balls in her first match in the red and blue.

In her collegiate debut, Christa Wilburn racked up seven aces, breaking the program's 25-point rally scoring era record.

SMU finished the match with a .278 hitting percentage while holding LSU to a .201 percent clip. The Mustangs won the serving and blocking battles with an 8-6 advantage in aces and a 11-8 edge in team blocks.

MATCH NOTES:
SMU improved to 3-2 against the Tigers in the all-time series. Friday's matchup was the Mustangs' first trip to Baton Rouge.
Schilling's 23 digs in the most since Jamison Wheeler had 26 against Texas Tech on Sept. 15, 2023.
Freshmen Kennedi Rogers and Christa Wilburn saw their first career action against the Tigers, with Rogers getting her first start. Rogers finished the match with six kills and five digs.
With the win Coach Erger improved to 74-25 at SMU. SMU is now 19-11 in season openers, 3-1 under Erger.

HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET ONE | It was a back-and-forth start to the match, with both teams playing their first game of 2025. SMU held a one-point lead (15-14) entering the media timeout. The first set ended with 15 ties and seven lead changes. Out of the break, SMU slowly grew a lead, with a kill from Jones, and a block from the duo of Anyanwu and Livings to go up 19-17, forcing LSU to take a timeout. After a kill by the Tigers, SMU collected the next three, two of the three coming from the right arm of Livings to take a 22-18 advantage. From there, SMU closed out the set, winning the frame 25-20. Rogers led the Mustangs in the first set with four kills on six swings. Anyanwu tallied four blocks in the set, and as a team, SMU outpaced LSU in that category 4-1. The Mustangs also hit an efficient .419 in frame.

SET TWO | SMU began the second set as it ended the first, working its way to a 10-7 advantage. However, LSU responded by earning five out of the next six points to take a 12-11 lead. A 4-0 run by the Mustangs gave SMU a 15-12 lead entering the media timeout. Again, LSU clawed its way back to even the score to 17-17. The Tigers then scored three of the next four, forcing SMU into a timeout as LSU reached the 20-point threshold first (20-18). LSU closed out the second frame after the timeout with a 5-2 run to win the set 25-20. The Tigers flipped the script in the second frame, winning the battle at the net with four blocks compared to none for the Mustangs. After hitting .419 in the first set, SMU was held to a .182 hitting percentage in the second set. LSU hit an even .300 in the second.

SET THREE | After a close start to the third frame, SMU began to develop a lead midway through the frame. A service error by the Tigers leveled the score at 9-9. That point was the start of a four-point swing, capped off by back-to-back aces by Wilburn, giving SMU a 12-9 advantage. The Mustangs stretched its lead out to five, scoring four of the next six points to go up 16-11. LSU never flinched, closing the gap and eventually taking a one-point lead at 21-20, to force an SMU timeout. Despite trailing for most of the set, a 3-0 run closed out a comeback set win for the Tigers. LSU took a 2-1 lead with a 25-23 win in the third frame.

SET FOUR | Needing to win the set to keep the match alive, the Mustangs started to click offensively. SMU offense was humming as the Mustangs finished the frame hitting .577, its highest of the match. Jones led the way in the frame with six kills on seven swings, followed by Livings who tallied four kills on seven attacks. As a result, SMU cruised to a 25-16 set four win to force a deciding fifth set. The Mustangs held LSU to its lowest clip of the night at .069 percent.

SET FIVE | SMU responded with five straight, after LSU recorded the first two points of the frame, ending with the fifth ace of the match by Wilburn. The Tigers fought back on their home court, backed by their home crowd. A kill by the Tigers evened the score at 7-7. A kill from Scheer and an ace from Schilling pushed the Mustangs in front 9-7. Two straight by start LSU's Jurnee Robinson outside leveled the score once more. The Tigers then scored two of the next three to take a one-point lead, its first of the set. SMU closed the match with four straight points, capped off by the record-setting ace by Wilburn for a five-set thrilling victory. The Mustangs hit .350 in the fifth set, led by Jones with six kills in the set.

SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Malaya Jones (20)
SMU Assist Leader: Averi Carlson (51)
SMU Digs Leader: Jordyn Schilling (23)
SMU Blocks Leader: Favor Anyanwu (9)
SMU Ace Leader: Christa Wilburn (7)

Up Next: SMU will take on No. 20 Baylor in the final matchup of opening weekend, tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. CT in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.