CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia Volleyball team (17-6, 7-5 ACC) fell in three sets (16-25, 10-25, 14-25) to the No. 12 SMU Mustangs (17-6, 9-3) on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 3) at Memorial Gymnasium.
Kate Dean had a team-best eight kills for the Cavaliers in the contest. In addition to Dean, Abby Tadder added four kills of her own, a team-high two blocks and a service ace.
The SMU duo of Naya Shime and Jamison Wheeler led all players with 10 kills each. Shime also had two service aces and a match-high five blocks on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: SMU 25, Virginia 16
Following a Dean kill that opened the match, SMU scored seven of the next nine points to take a 7-3 lead. A Kate Johnson ace at 15-8 helped end a Mustang run as the two teams proceeded to trade points until back-to-back kills gave SMU the set at 25-16.
Set 2: SMU 25, Virginia 10
The visiting Mustangs opened the second set on a 4-0 run before another Dean kill got Virginia on the board. In the heart of the set, SMU went on an 8-1 run to grab control of the game at 17-6. Brooklyn Borum kept the set alive for the Cavaliers at 24-11 before the Mustangs ultimately took a 2-0 advantage in the match with a Natalia Newsome kill.
Set 3: SMU 25, Virginia 14
In the final set, Tadder collected a kill and a block to notch the game at 2-2 before SMU rode a 4-0 run to the lead. The Mustangs steadily built a lead in the third and led by as many as 10 at 19-9. A Kadynce Booth kill cut the SMU advantage to 22-13 prior to the Mustangs tallying three of the final four points in the match.
MATCH NOTES
- Virginia was outhit .390-.000
- With the win, SMU improves to 1-0 in the all-time series with Virginia.
UP NEXT
UVA will close out the homestand on Wednesday (Nov. 6) as the Cavaliers play host to the Virginia Tech Hokies (7-15, 1-11) in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash. First serve is set for 6 p.m. and can be streamed on ACCNX.