SMU volleyball coach Sam Erger knows the narrative that started after her team was upset by No. 7 seed Missouri in the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament.
Frankly, she doesn’t agree with it.
“Last year, we did stuff that we had never done or dreamed of as a program and then all of a sudden it got characterized as, ‘Oh, they underachieved in the tournament,’” Erger told The Dallas Morning News Wednesday. “Well, we might’ve just overachieved on the season to begin with with a group of girls that were punching above their weight and making something really special happen.”
After sweeping Florida in the second round of this year’s NCAA tournament on Saturday, the Mustangs silenced that narrative, building on a dominant regular season by advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history in only their second year in a power conference.
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Second-seeded SMU will face No. 3-seed Purdue in a rematch of their September meeting on Thursday in Pittsburgh at 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN2 with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line. Purdue beat SMU, 3-1, the first time they played this season.
“To achieve something that you’ve circled is awesome,” Erger said. “It feels so great. Mostly just excited for the girls. I don’t think we have many on our team, maybe only Averi Carlson has been past this round. For them, it’s just a really cool thing and a testament to the hard work that they’ve done.”
The Mustangs have already established the 2025 season as their best in program history. They hold a 27-5 record, tying the program high for wins in a season after beating Central Arkansas and Florida in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament without losing a set. They rank No. 7 in the nation, the program’s highest ranking ever. They’ve won 11 consecutive matches entering their rematch with Purdue.
Earlier this week, four Mustangs were selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-Region Awards, with Averi Carlson, Malaya Jones, Favor Anyanwu and Jadyn Livings being named to the Southwest All-Region first team. SMU had previously had just 11 players ever earn that honor.
Erger was also named Southwest Region Coach of the Year for the second straight season.
All four Mustangs also earned All-ACC honors. Carlson and Jones were first team, Anyanwu and Livings were second team and Carlson was also ACC Setter of the Year.
The four players honored are new to the program this year with Anyanwu and Livings transferring from USC, Carlson transferring from Texas and Jones transferring from Colorado State.
The Mustangs’ ability to capitalize on the transfer portal has allowed the program to become not only one of the best in Texas and in the ACC, but in the nation.
“We want to just bring in the best players and the best people that we feel are going to be great Mustangs,” Erger said. “I don’t really care how we get them. I think the transfer portal has become a new and another avenue.”
However, SMU will be without one of those transfers when it faces Purdue, as Livings went down with an injury last match against Florida. SMU also remains without starter Natalia Newsome, who has been injured since mid-October.
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That adversity has allowed younger players to step into larger roles. But as the program continues its historic run, Erger said it’s been challenging for both the injured players and the team as a whole to overcome.
“It’s been really hard to even watch their mental health suffer because we’ve got girls that are really, really sad to not be playing,” she said. “But to see the way that it has rallied our team and almost brought them to go and play for their teammates has been really special.”
Because of the injuries, the Mustangs will look different when they face Purdue than back in September. The Boilermakers have since improved from No. 14 in the nation at the time to No. 12. But Erger said her team, despite the injuries, is playing its best volleyball now.
A trip to the Elite Eight, likely against host team Pitt, is on the line. But Erger said she’s encouraging her players to enter Thursday’s match understanding how much they’ve already accomplished and knowing they have nothing to lose.
“I do think we’ve got at least a little revenge plot line,” she said. “Pressure is probably a little bit on them. So for our team, I’m like, you have nothing to lose. Let’s go get some revenge.”
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