SMCC Volleyball Announces 2023 Schedule
PHOENIX ---
The South Mountain Community College women's volleyball team and head coach Melissa Joseph have unveiled the Cougars' 2023 schedule, a 28-game slate featuring 14 home matches. The Cougars return seven letterwinners from a last year's squad that qualified for the Region I Division II Tournament. All SMCC home matches will be live streamed for free.
SMCC will open the 2023 campaign with four matches in Roswell, N.M., on the New Mexico Military Institute campus on Aug. 18-19. At the event, the Cougars will square off with Tyler JC (TX), Odessa JC (TX), host NMMI, and Vernon College (TX).
The Cougars' home opener is Wednesday, Aug. 23, against Grand Rapids CC (MI). SMCC will then host Southeastern CC (IA) at 9 a.m. and Central Arizona at noon on Friday, Aug. 25.
On Saturday, Aug. 26, SMCC will host Mesa CC and Williston State College (ND), and three matches will be played beginning at 9 a.m. From there, SMCC travels to Eastern Arizona for an ACCAC contest on Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 5 p.m.
The Cougars continue ACCAC play with home matches against Scottsdale CC (Sept. 6) and Arizona Western (Sept. 8). They split their next few weeks between home and away fixtures, traveling to Glendale CC (Sept. 13) before hosting Chandler-Gilbert CC and heading to Eastern Arizona (Sept. 18) before returning home to meet Phoenix College (Sept. 20).
SMCC wraps up September with road contests at Mesa (Sept. 22), Chandler-Gilbert CC (Sept. 23) and Pima CC (Sept. 27) sandwiched around a home match against Ottawa (AZ) on Sept. 26.
October opens with a road match at Scottsdale CC (Oct. 4) before the Cougars return home to face Central Arizona on Oct. 6 and Glendale CC on Oct. 11.
SMCC then travels to Chandler-Gilbert CC (Oct. 13) and Phoenix College (Oct. 18) before closing out its home slate with matches against Mesa CC (7 p.m.) and Pima CC (Oct. 25) for Sophomore Night. The regular season concludes on Oct. 27 with a road match at Yavapai College.
Joseph has seven returners at her disposal as the program aims to return to the postseason. Sophomore Delicea McAuley led SMCC with 760 assists, an average of 8.74 per set, and added 173 digs, 22 kills, 22 service aces and 12 total blocks.
Sophomore Rylee Pitts finished with 170 kills and added 10 service aces, 33 digs, and 36 total blocks, and sophomore Mariah Smith finished with 50 kills and added 38 total blocks, four service aces and three digs.
Sophomore Shayna Simmers posted 98 digs, 17 service aces and 10 assists, and sophomore Brynley Lynch recorded 55 kills, 11 service aces, 18 digs and 39 total blocks.