SMU outside hitter Dana Powell finished her last season wearing number six for the Mustangs. She’s been playing the sport since she was in the fifth grade. The Mustangs finished last season 15-17 and in Conference USA they were 11-9.
Powell is a Tulsa, OK native, and came to SMU for her volleyball skills. She graduated high school from Cascia Hall Preparatory School where she played the sport all four years. Also being from Tulsa makes the Golden Hurricanes Powell’s biggest rival.
“They have been one of our biggest rivals for a pretty long time. They are always at the top of the conference so it’s always a tough match. Plus, the fact that I’m from Tulsa makes me want to beat them that much more!” Powell said.
Playing against Tulsa also brought Powell her fondest memory wearing the red and blue.
“It was senior night and we had kind of a rough season this year and took some tough losses throughout the year but we never stopped fighting. So, by the time senior night rolled around we were matched up against Tulsa. We had beaten them earlier in the season on their home court, but now it was time for us to win in our house. They had already been named conference champions so the pressure was really on. It was my last match as an SMU volleyball player so I wanted to win badly. The match went to five sets and we ended up winning 3-2. It was something I will never forget!” Powell said.
Powell has also collected quite a few awards during her career, including being named to the Second team All-Conference USA this year as a senior and named to the All-American Honorable Mention her sophomore and junior years. She was also voted team captain by her teammates both her junior and senior year.
The season is done for the year, so the spring offseason includes a much lighter schedule with time to work on technical skills that there isn’t time for in the regular season. The team still participates in four tournaments, but they don’t count towards the fall record.
The coach at SMU started the program and has been there since 1996.
Powell has high hopes for the team after she graduates in May.
“I really hope they come out and surprise everyone. They are going to be an extremely young team, with only four upperclassmen, so they won’t have as much experience as some of the other teams. The girls coming in and the remaining starters from this past year will provide them with a great team,” Powell said.