After competing in the Aztec Invitational in San Diego, the Mustangs are headed to South Carolina to play in the Charleston Classic at the College of Charleston.

Their tournament will kick off with a match against a new rival, the hosting Cougars (8-2) on Friday.

The Lady Mustangs will then go on to play Ball State and Alabama A&M; on Saturday.

So far, the Mustangs (6-4) are led by junior Caroline Young with 114 kills.

Young earned her first all-tournament award of the season in the Aztec Invitational. At this rate, Young is on pace to make the top 10 all-time in kills at SMU this season.

Also to watch, is first-year libero Morgan Heise with a team high of 123 digs. She is averaging 25 percent of the team’s digs per game, and has reached a season-high of 16 twice.

Opening weekend, Heise was awarded Best Libero at the SMU Invitational.

Along with Young and Heise, senior Maddie Lozano earned all-tournament honors, and sophomores Avery Acker and Abby Bybel earned their first all-tournament awards.

The Mustangs are up against some stiff competition. Charleston has four players hitting above .290, and Ball State (9-3) is coming in hot on a six-match winning streak.

The last meeting of the Cardinals and Mustangs ended in a loss, 3-0 to the Cardinals.

Saturday will be the first match between SMU and Alabama A&M; (0-11).

Last weekend the Mustangs pushed three teams to a fifth set in San Diego. They battled close with San Francisco and Harvard but lost it in the end, and then beat Northeastern in their last match.

With a stretch of long, intense matches behind them, the girls prepare for their next challenge.

The kickoff match will be Friday at 6 p.m.