Sept. 20, 2007

IRVING, Texas - Conference USA will host its first CSTV volleyball match of the 2007 season Friday night in Dallas, Texas. SMU will host Marshall in the conference opener for both programs at Moody Coliseum at 7 p.m. CSTV will air the match on Sunday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. CST.

Marshall, the preseason favorite to win the league title, has started 7-7 and most recently defeated West Virginia, 3-1, and Akron, 3-0, last weekend. C-USA Preseason Player of the Year senior outside hitter Kelly-Anne Billingy leads the Herd with 4.76 kills per game and .341 hitting. Setter Elizabeth Fleming ranks 38th in the nation and second in the league in assists per game, dishing out 12.44, and has amassed 684 on the season. Junior libero Maggie Arias has compiled 218 digs for an average of 4.19 per game.

SMU has won three of its last four matches to push its overall record to 10-4. The Mustangs are lead by senior outside hitter Rachel Giubilato who ranks 28th in the NCAA in kills per game at 4.76 and owns 10 double-doubles on the season. Quarterbacking the club is junior setter Stefanie Kons. Kons is responsible for 11.36 assists per game, fifth in the league, while sophomore libero Candice Davis tops the team and ranks second in C-USA in digs per game with 4.78 per contest.

As a team, SMU appears among the NCAA best in digs (18.88/19th) and kills (15.80/48th) per game.

Marshall is 2-0 all-time against the Mustangs with its last win coming on Oct. 1, 2006 in Dallas. The Herd downed SMU 3-0 (33-31, 30-26, 30-28) in that match which marked head coach Mitch Jacobs' 100th career victory at Marshall.

Friday's match is one of five C-USA matches that will air on CSTV this season.