The SMU volleyball team defeated Duke on Friday Nov. 8 in the program’s first win against the Blue Devils. The win was especially satisfying as they swept Duke in all three sets. This continues their November streak with three conference wins in a row, currently ranking 10-3 in conference and 18-6 overall.
Two consecutive missed serves started the match off but SMU earned their first point when senior Jamison Wheeler slammed Duke’s overpass down the line to tie the score 2-2.
Despite a closely matched back and forth at the beginning, the Mustangs handedly won the first set 25-16. Setter Celia Cullen led hit percentages with two successful setter dumps while graduate students Naya Shime and Maya Tabron had six kills, three digs and four kills, two digs respectively.
Middle blocker Natalie Foster was the star of the second set, which the Mustangs won 25-18, with fantastic serves that put the Blue Devils out of system multiple times. She had three aces throughout the entire match. She has now tied SMU’s single-season ace record with 51 in total.
The two teams looked evenly matched at the beginning of the second set, with the Blue Devils even leading 8-6 at one point. However, the Mustangs did not let this frazzle them. They quickly came back with seven straight points led by graduate student Ellie Bolton’s serving run.
The second set was also marked by great defense on behalf of the two liberos, Ellie Bolton and senior Brooke Frasier. They adjusted well after struggling to defend Duke’s dominant hitter, Kerry Keefe. By the end of the second set, SMU had a staggering 28 digs.
Defensive improvements were seen from all of SMU’s players in the second set. Tip coverage and protection down the line forced Duke to change up their shots in attempts to put the ball down.
Communication was key to winning this match. Cullen was eager to make it to every second ball, often impressively diving while still getting her hands on it. However the liberos were assertive in calling her off if they were in a better position; Frasier had some especially good out-of-system sets to the outside hitters that led to kills.
The fans grew worried in the third set after the Blue Devils took an early lead. Some attendees anxiously shushed each other for fear of distracting their Mustangs. However SMU was able to rally back mid-set, outscoring Duke 5-1 and taking the score from 13-15 to 18-16.
Freshman middle-blocker Natalia Newsome came in towards the end of the set and had two back-to-back kills. Shime scored the winning point with a fantastic kill making the final score 25-22.
The team had 43 kills by the end of the third set with 11 from Shime, nine from Wheeler, eight from Foster and seven from Tabron.
Blocking was an effective defensive move with eight total blocks. Cullen and graduate student Nnedi Okammor were an absolute wall, especially in the first set.
The Mustangs continue to climb up the rankings, moving from No. 12 to No. 10 in the country. After defeating North Carolina last Sunday, the Mustangs will face off against RV Miami on Nov. 15.
