SMU’s defense travels in a sweep at Syracuse

SMU opened its ACC road schedule Friday with a sweep built on pressure at the net. The fifth-ranked Mustangs beat Syracuse 25–18, 25–19, 25–16, improving to 11–2 overall and 3–0 in conference play.

Syracuse finished with a .000 hitting percentage, the lowest by an SMU opponent this season, according to SMU Athletics. The Mustangs had a 12–3 advantage in blocks and committed nine attack errors to the Orange’s 26.

SMU’s offense supplied a second source of separation. The Mustangs hit .341, their fourth consecutive match above .300, and finished with 39 kills. Seven players recorded a kill in the opening set, and 10 contributed points during the match.

The result extended SMU’s conference winning streak to 12 matches. The Dallas team continues its trip at Boston College on Sunday, Oct. 4, with first serve at noon Central and streaming coverage on ACCNX.

Analysis

The sweep’s most useful measure is the gap between the teams’ attacking efficiency. SMU generated more kills while giving away substantially fewer points through attack errors. Paired with its blocking edge, that gave the Mustangs control without relying on one scoring run. Boston College provides the next test of whether that balance will travel again.

Jake Team Editorial

Sources

SMU Athletics: October 2 match report and statistics

SMU Athletics: official Syracuse box score