The Mustangs made their 2024 Dallas debut at Wednesday’s volleyball game in Moody Coliseum, which marked a pivotal point for SMU’s athletic program. The Mustangs beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers in straight sets, making this their highest ranked win in program history. This match also set the tone for the season by breaking the program’s attendance record, filling 6,773 seats.
The popularity of their opponent buzzed around SMU’s campus. The Nebraska volleyball team’s impressive record includes five national championships, a world record for attendance, and a recent appearance in the 2023 title match.
Despite the Mustang’s championship history in the American Athletic Conference, SMU was not favored to win.
Nebraska’s notoriety did not appear to intimidate SMU. The Mustangs started slow in the first set with a serving violation, but immediately fired back with two kills from the outside.
Nebraska’s response came in the form of 6’3 middle blocker Andi Jackson. Jackson fired 4 kills within her first substitution, and helped the Cornhuskers secure the lead. Nebraska libero, Lexi Rodriguez, left little of the court uncovered, and soon, Nebraska led by 5 points. This was their largest lead of the night.
For every offensive move made by Nebraska, SMU responded. Down by five, the Mustangs went on a 6-point run and forced a Nebraska timeout. With a save from SMU grad student Ellie Bolton, the Mustangs took the first set.
The Mustang’s ability to keep the No. 2 team in the country to less than a 3-point lead in the first set was largely due to blockers Naya Shime and Nnedi Okammor, who made the net nearly impenetrable for even the hardest of the Cornhuskers’ hits.
Shime’s explosiveness at the net defined the second set for the Mustangs. Her four kills kept momentum high heading into the third set. The crowd, composed of Nebraska residents to local club volleyball teams, was a blend of “Go big red!” and “S-M-U!” cheers.
Nebraska rallied in the third set, threatening to force SMU to a 4th set, but it was too late for the Cornhuskers. The Mustangs found their rhythm, boasting 19 digs in the third set alone. SMU approached game-point with a 24-16 lead.
Nebraska fans filed out of Moody before Shime delivered the final fiery kill. The Mustangs rushed onto the court to celebrate with their head coach, Sam Erger.
“I knew in my heart [SMU] could compete, we could compete with anybody,” Erger said, as she sat down at the press conference teary-eyed. “I’m just really excited for our girls,” she added.
SMU came into the game following a tough loss to Hawaii, which Erger thinks helped motivate the team. Down five points in the first set, Erger relied on that energy.
“We were passing so well, which has been a little bit of a struggle in our first two matches,” Erger said. “So when that started happening, I felt like, okay, we can do this.”
Many teams would avoid a preseason matchup with a powerhouse like Nebraska, but Shime praised SMU for embracing such challenges.
“[The win] means a lot. I love that SMU schedules teams like Nebraska in the preseason to prepare ourselves. We all kind of had a belief that we could come back if we stayed calm and played SMU volleyball,” Shime said “And that’s why we won.”
Nebraska only lost one regular season game last year, so this upset is a big deal for NCAA volleyball and an even bigger deal for SMU athletics.
