The SMU volleyball team has clinched a place in the Conference USA tournament.

Now, they are fighting for seeding and trying to prove to the other contenders, and to themselves, that they are a legitimate team to win it all.

They have a good chance to accomplish both objectives this weekend when they take on their second straight top-ranked team in C-USA, the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, before going on to play the University of Central Florida Golden Knights.

The Mustangs have been dominant at home this season but only average on the road with a 6-7 record away from Moody Coliseum.

They will have to be near flawless to take down Southern Miss on Friday.

SMU is a combined 7-2 against both teams, according to smumustangs.com.

The team is 3-1 against the Golden Eagles and 4-1 against UCF. However, in last year’s tournament, the Mustangs fell to the Golden Knights in the first round, 3-1.

The Mustangs have proven to be the top defensive unit in the conference, but they have to show it this weekend against Southern Miss to prove they can compete with the best.