The SMU volleyball team has a chance to even up the score against Rice University when the Owls and the University of Houston roll into Moody Coliseum this weekend.
The odds are looking good, as the Mustangs are carrying a seven-game home winning streak into the weekend. The streak carries back into the 2008 season. The last time SMU lost at home was on Nov. 2, 2008 to Rice, 3-1.
The Mustangs are in the thick of a heated race for one of eight spots in the Conference USA tournament. SMU gained a huge boost of confidence last weekend after taking down conference rivals University of Alabama-Birmingham and Memphis University. Those wins propelled SMU into a tie for fifth with Marshall University, and the Mustangs hold the tiebreaker against the Thundering Herd after defeating them at home on Oct. 3.
“If your goal is to win the conference championship, then you better be confident,” said Lisa Seifert, head coach of the Mustangs. “So we’re confident. We have to be confident when we come out here every single time we play. If you’re not confident, you’re in trouble already.”
The Owls defeated the Mustangs two weekends ago in Houston on Oct. 10. In that match, more than four Mustangs had double-digit kill totals, with sophomore Kathryn Wilkerson leading the team with 17. Sophomores Dana Powell and Kelli Becerra both had a double double, with Powell notching 11 kills and 17 digs and Becerra recording 52 assists and 14 digs. But, all their efforts combined were not enough to topple the Owls, who won 3-1.
Rice is currently fourth in C-USA, half a game above SMU and half a game below third place Tulsa. The standings are essentially so close that if SMU beats Rice, and Tulsa loses, the Mustangs could jump to a tie for third before they even play Houston on Saturday.
Two weeks ago, the Mustangs swept Houston the day before they lost to Rice. Powell led the Mustangs in kills and was the only one to break double digits with 13. As a team, SMU recorded 15 blocks as opposed to the Cougars’ five team blocks. Of those 15 blocks, senior Kendra Kahanek had one solo block and nine block assists. Kahanek is currently the C-USA leader in blocks, averaging 1.14 per set, and she needs only five more to surpass Natalie Peters (484) as the all-time leader in blocks at SMU.
“Our defense has been huge for us all year,” Seifert said. “We are going to get second chances because we dig balls, and we’re going to score points because we block balls. We’re going to get a lot of second chances because we are one of the best defensive teams in the league.”
SMU will also be hosting their “Dig Pink” fundraiser when they host Houston on Saturday. The team is partnering up with the Side-Out Foundation to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research. Tickets are sold at a reduced price and donations for the fundraiser will be taken at the door. According to Travis Chamblee, the sports information director for volleyball, the fundraiser has been aired on both The Ticket and its sister radio station, and ads have placed all over the school to draw in the students.
“We’ve got several different raffles and auctions that will be going on that weekend,” Chamblee said. “All 14 players will be wearing a pink jersey and all of those will be auctioned off on Friday and Saturday.”
Other items that will be available are team signed volleyballs as well as a football autographed by Mustangs head football coach June Jones.
