The SMU volleyball team will be on the road Sunday to compete in its final regular season match against Tulsa at 3 p.m. The game will be recorded by CBS College Sports Network and broadcasted on a tape delay on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
Rounding out the season, seniors Natalie Peters and Stephanie Kons say farewell in their final regular season matches. Both have contributed to SMU volleyball since their freshman year.
Kons leaves SMU ranking in the top five in the assists and assists per set categories. Peters’ contributions to the team have made her the school’s all-time greatest blocker, as she broke three blocking records in the career categories this season. Peters now has the record for total blocks, solo blocks, and block assists.
The Mustangs (13-16, 5-10 Conference USA) are coming off a road trip, in which they were swept by both UTEP and top-ranked Tulane. Trying to finish the season strong, the Mustangs are hoping to continue to see strong performances by the consistently strong blockers Peters and Kendra Kahanek. Freshman Dana Powell also has been vital to the team during the last five games, giving the Mustangs a much-needed boost on offense.
The last time these two opponents met, Tulsa prevailed over SMU 3-1. The Golden Hurricane had outstanding performances on defense, with setter Rachel Vukson recording 49 assists and libero Malorey Grove digging 16 attacks. SMU showed up on the offensive end with three players recording 12 kills and a team combined 54.
The Golden Hurricane is led by junior outside hitter Jennifer Eichler and freshman setter Vulkson, who were both recently named Conference USA players of the week.
Tulsa heads into this weekend 21-9 overall and 8-7 in Conference USA, leaving it in a tie with Memphis for the fifth seed in the conference tournament. SMU is in tenth place in the conference.