Mustang volleyball player ranked nationally

Senior SMU volleyball player Kristen Peterson has always been a major defensive player for the Mustangs. This week she is ranked 28th in the nation, leading her conference with 4.19 digs per game.

Last week, Peterson was ranked 15th nationally. Although she has dropped in rankings, it is a tremendous honor for Peterson and SMU.

Peterson is only the second Mustang in program history to be recognized in the national rankings. Former setter, Tara Hatfield, was the first when she was ranked nationally in assists for four weeks in 2000.

“This is great for our program. Pete has done a great job defensively for us this season and she deserves to be recognized,” head coach Lisa Seifert said

Her teammates call her Pete, as well as her friends. She has led the WAC in digs for four consecutive weeks. Peterson has already had 230 digs this season moving her into fourth place on the all-time list for SMU. She is just 19 digs away from her 1000th career dig.

Peterson came to SMU from San Antonio where she was San Antonio Player of the Year in 1998 as an outside hitter, but she has been playing since the NCAA implemented the new position before the 2002 season.

The libero position is a player who can replace any back row player without counting as a substitution. The libero is not allowed to serve, block or attack the ball if it is above the height of the net. A libero player also must wear a different jersey than her teammates.

“Having our best ball handler on the court for five rotations has been very beneficial for us,” Seifert said. “We have been able to extend some rallies and win points we might not have won previously.”

Peterson played in 24 matches and 52 games as a true freshman. She was ranked sixth on the team with a .165 hitting percentage. Also in her freshman year she produced 75 kills and averaged 1.44 per game. She led the team twice that year in digs.

Peterson finished up her sophmore year with 2.48 kills per game and ranked ninth among WAC leaders with 2.96 digs per game.

Since Peterson’s freshman year she has more than doubled her dig average.

Last year, she tied the school single-match record with 27 digs against Unive-rsity of Texas Arlington.

Peterson also recorded 18 matches with 10 or more digs and four matches with 20-plus. She finished first for the team and seventh in the WAC for digs per game with a 3.36 average.

The next home volleyball match is 7 p.m. Thursday against Nevada in Moody Coliseum.