No. 5 SMU closes non-conference play against Rice and unbeaten Yale as Suli Davis leads a Mustang team coming off two top-10 victories.
DALLAS - SMU volleyball enters the final week of non-conference play with something it has never had before: a top-five national ranking.
The Mustangs climbed to No. 5 in the latest AVCA poll, the highest ranking in program history, after knocking off No. 9 Texas and No. 3 Kentucky during a statement-making week.
Now SMU gets two more chances to build momentum before ACC play begins.
First comes a Thursday night neutral-site matchup with Rice at Schollmaier Arena in Fort Worth. Then SMU returns to Moody Coliseum on Saturday to face unbeaten Yale.
Sophomore outside hitter Suli Davis has been at the center of SMU’s surge.
Davis was named the AVCA National Collegiate Player of the Week after producing 64 kills across three matches while averaging 5.33 kills per set and hitting .303.
She posted 22 kills and 13 digs in the five-set win over Texas, followed with a season-high 25 kills and 15 digs against Kentucky and added 17 kills against Purdue.
The performance also earned Davis ACC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Head coach Sam Erger has consistently pushed her team to embrace high-level competition without letting the moment become too big.
“I really believe in our team,” Erger said earlier this season. “We are super young.”
SMU has given her plenty of reason to believe.
The Mustangs already own three top-10 victories this season, also sweeping then-No. 8 Texas A&M in the opener.
Under Erger, SMU has now collected 16 victories over ranked opponents and eight against top-10 teams.
Junior middle blocker Favor Anyanwu has provided another major piece. She earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors after recording 20 blocks over three matches.
Anyanwu enters the week among the national leaders in total blocks.
Thursday’s opponent won’t be an easy tuneup.
Rice enters 6-3 and recently defeated No. 15 Creighton. The Owls lead the all-time series with SMU 25-15, although the Mustangs have won four of the past five meetings.
Saturday brings another challenge against Yale, which entered the week 6-0. It’ll be the first meeting between the programs.
There’s history available at Moody Coliseum, too.
SMU has won 12 consecutive home matches, tying the longest home winning streak in program history. A victory Saturday would establish a new mark.
With Stanford waiting in the ACC opener on Sept. 25, Rice and Yale represent SMU’s final opportunity to sharpen its game before the schedule gets even tougher.
