The SMU volleyball team (13-7, 3-3 conference), ranked seventh in Conference USA, will play a very pivotal game this weekend when they take on No. 8 University of Alabama at Birmingham (10-10, 4-2 conference) and No. 11 Memphis University Tigers (4-17, 1-6 conference) in the first two matches of a six-game home-stand.
The Mustangs are in the thick of the C-USA pack and every match matters at this point as they vie for one of eight spots in the conference tournament.
In previous years, all 12 teams in C-USA participated in the tournament and the top four teams had a first round bye. Southern Miss (6-1) is currently in first but only five games separate them from last place East Carolina (1-6).
“For us, every win is important because of the fact that Conference USA, this year, is only taking eight teams into the tournament,” head coach Lisa Seifert said. “Last year, everybody went. You still want a good seed, but now we’re playing to get in. You got to get in it before you can win it.”
The Mustangs are in a three-way tie for seventh place and one team they are tied with is the Blazers. The two teams will take it to the court at Moody Coliseum on Oct. 16 at 7 p.m., with major implications at stake. The winner will be guaranteed at least seventh place and could rise as high as fourth place if all other teams lose. However, SMU and UAB are not just neck and neck in the rankings; they are also right with the Mustangs in hitting percentage, kills, assists and blocks.
“At this point, with 10 matches left in the season, I don’t think it really matters, honestly, who we’re playing,” Seifert said. “We’re trying to treat everybody the same. As I’ve been saying for weeks, we haven’t won anything yet. So, we have to be just as serious about UAB as we were against Houston and as we were against Rice.”
The Mustangs face a much easier test in their next match against the Memphis on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. Seifert knows that Memphis, on the road, has absolutely nothing to lose and will use their desperation as a strength. However, she is not worried because to her, that desperation is what the Mustangs feel as well.
“I’m talking about that at seventh,” Seifert said. “We don’t have anything to lose. You’ve got to play aggressively and give 100 percent effort on every single ball, every point, every set, every match.”
The Mustangs will also take this opportunity to promote their “Dig Pink” fundraiser for cancer awareness and research.
The actual “Dig Pink” event will be played against the University of Houston on Oct. 24. The players will wear pink jerseys and will auction them off after the game, as well as other items, including team signed volleyballs.
