SMU’s Madison Hill (right) taps the ball over the net past Rice’s Tessa Kuykendall (Center) and Jennifer McClean (left) during Sunday’s matchup at Moody. (Lindsey Perkins)
The SMU volleyball team ended its regular season with two wins in Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs defeated both Houston and Rice, taking them to 16-14 overall for the season and 7-9 in C-USA.
In front of the largest volleyball crowd of the season, the SMU volleyball team swept Houston 3-0 (30-24, 30-23, 31-29). It was also the team’s national television debut, as the match was televised on CSTV.
Sophomore Natalie Peters contributed to the team’s record-breaking 17 blocks by putting up three solo blocks. Peters had 10 kills and 10 blocks overall in the match.
Juniors Rachel Giubilato and Caitlin Rainbird each earned double-doubles again in the match versus Houston. Giubilato notched 20 kills and 11 digs, while Rainbird had 11 kills, 11 digs and four blocks. Junior Madison Hill led the offense with 40 assists, two kills and five digs. Hill also set a new career-high record with six blocks.
Freshmen standouts Kendra Kahanek and Candice Davis served up considerable numbers against the Cougars. Davis had two service aces, including the match winner, 17 assists, one digs and one block. Kahanek split time between offense and defense with eight kills and seven blocks.
The match saw lots of back and forth from both teams, with numerous ties and lead changes. SMU was able to dominate at the net and pull together its defense to defeat the Cougars for the second time this season.
The Mustangs turned their victory over Houston into a winning weekend with a 3-2 (30-27, 30-26, 27-30, 26-30, 15-13) win over Rice on Sunday. The team honored senior Jeanette Evanco for Senior Day as they closed the regular season.
Giubilato and Rainbird both posted double-doubles again while playing the Owls and Peters put up 16 kills and nine blocks in the match.
The Mustangs set a career-high team record with 102 digs. Giubilato tied her career-high record of 29 digs in the match. Freshman Adrienne Zielasko added five blocks and two digs to the Mustangs’ game stats while sophomore Jenny Reyes had two service aces and eight digs. Davis tied her career high with 32 digs, in addition to her one block and one kill against the Owls.
Mustangs Rachel Giubilato and Candice Davis were also named C-USA Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, after their strong performances at home this weekend. This is Giubilato’s first honor and Davis’ third this season.
With the wins this weekend, the Mustangs earned the eighth seed into the C-USA tournament, which will be held in Houston this year. SMU will play Southern Miss on Thursday.
