The SMU volleyball team still has improvements to make after their two matches last weekend. The Mustangs swept the University of Houston (25-23, 25-20, 25-21), the team they were supposed to beat but failed to make a statement when they were unable to upset Rice University (25-22, 25-23, 31-33, 25-18).
SMU played Houston on Oct. 9, and the Mustangs turned the match into a volleyball clinic, posting some season-highs on both the offensive and defensive side of the court.
Sophomore Dana Powell, the Mustangs’ best offensive weapon, posted 13 kills to lead the team, but even more impressively she hit at .458 for the match, which was a new career high for the outside hitter. Her previous best performance came in the 2009 season opener against Northern Colorado on Aug. 28.
Senior Kendra Kahanek recorded 10 blocks against Houston, which topped in Conference USA for the week. Over the two weekend matches, Kahanek had over half of the team’s block totals. The team had 23 total blocks against Houston and Rice, and Kahanek had 13 herself. For her performance, she was awarded the C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honor, her first of the season and second of her career. Kahanek is second in C-USA in blocks, averaging 1.14 blocks/set and is first on the team in hitting percentage at .277.
Rice proved to be a far more difficult opponent than Houston, with a stronger offensive unit and much better discipline. The Mustangs lost the first two sets by a narrow margin before winning an emotionally charged third set that went all the way to 33-31, before SMU pulled out the win. However, Rice showed no panic and by continuing their steady play, did not allow the Mustangs to swing momentum to themselves. The Owls registered more kills than the Mustangs, 69-60, and had a better hitting percentage as well, .238-.161.
Powell recorded her 12th double-double of the season against the Owls with 11 kills and 17 digs, and sophomore Kelli Becerra had her 11th double-double with 52 assists and 14 digs. Freshman Courtney Manning pitched in with her best effort to date with a career-high 16 kills.
