Powell's double-double leads volleyball to sweep of UAB

[PonyPride]

Volleyball Explodes In Third Set To Sweep UAB
Dana Powell Records 13th Double-Double With Kill On Final Point

Oct. 16, 2009

DALLAS (SMU) - The Mustang volleyball team found themselves in a dogfight right from the start of their match with UAB, sneaking past UAB by five points in the first two sets. The Mustangs turned up the heat, taking the third set 25-14 to sweep the Blazers (25-23, 25-22, 25-14).

Leading 2-0 after a pair of tight sets, the Mustangs (14-7, 4-3 Conference USA) charged out of the break to take an early 10-2 lead, dominating the final set. After the early run, seven points was as close as the Blazers (11-11, 4-3 C-USA) could get. The Mustangs hit .302 in the third set, after posting a mere .099 over the first two sets.

Dana Powell dropped her 10th kill of the match on the final point to go with 17 digs for her 13th double-double of the season. Kathryn Wilkerson finished with a match-high 22 kills, and Kelli Becerra finished with 38 assists. The Mustangs finished with nine blocks in the match, led by Jessica Oliver, who finished with seven, one solo and six assists.

In the first set, SMU jumped out to a 6-2 lead before gloves came off. The Blazers rallied, tying the match at 10-10, and stayed right with the Mustangs till the end of the set. SMU scored the final two points of the set to take the 25-23 victory. Kathryn Wilkerson slammed the Kelli Becerra set to the floor to give the Mustangs the early advantage in the match.

The slugfest continued in the second set, staying close all the way until Jessica Oliver scored the final kill to give SMU the set, 25-22, and a 2-0 lead in the match. The Mustangs took the early lead again, 10-6, but the Blazers wouldn't stay down. UAB battled to tie the match 14-14, and stayed within one point until SMU broke a 19-19 tie with four-straight points to lead 23-19 before holding off a Blazer run to claim the match.

The Mustangs will cap off the weekend against Memphis in Moody Coliseum Saturday at 7 p.m.