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Women's Volleyball Home | |
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THE SEIFERT FILE • 16 All-Conference Honors • 58 Academic All-Conference Honors • Two AVCA Academic Team Awards • Member of the AVCA Coaches' Poll Committee • Member of the NCAA West and Mid-West Committee • Nine players nationally-ranked in individual categories • All-Regional Team Selection Committee Lisa Seifert is the first and only volleyball coach in SMU history. Under her tutelage, the Mustangs have moved into the national spotlight with team and individual regional and national rankings. She has had players earn All-Conference honors 16 times and Academic All-Conference accolades 48 times. The SMU volleyball program has experienced tremendous growth over the last several years. Last season, the Mustangs got off to the fastest start in program history, winning their first six matches. The squad eventually got to 10-3 and No. 31 in the RPI before All-Conference outside hitter Rachel Giubilato suffered a season-ending injury. The team also made history when it defeated in-state rival Texas Tech for the first time September 1, 2007, breaking a six-game losing streak dating back to 1996. In 2006, the Mustangs made their national television debut with a 3-0 sweep of Houston at Moody Coliseum, setting a school record with 17 blocks in the match. The team finished 17-15 with Rachel Giubilato making the All-Conference USA first-team and Kendra Kahanek earning C-USA All-Freshman honors. Candice Davis was a three-time C-USA Defensive Player of the Week on her way to setting the SMU record for digs in a season. Firmly established as one of the country's top recruiters, Seifert has continually raised the level of talent playing for the Mustangs by attracting some of the nation's top prep players to the Hilltop, as evidenced by her stellar groups of freshmen over the last several seasons. The 2008 incoming class is the highest ranked class in program history, earning a tie for 46th according to PrepVolleyball.com. "In the six years that I have had the opportunity to work with Lisa, she has always displayed such a passion for the student-athlete and the sport of volleyball," said Koni Daws, Assistant Athletic Director and SWA. "Lisa has worked hard to build a solid program with a great staff and group of student-athletes that consistently is among the top teams in the conference and a contender for the national tournament. Her commitment to the program is clearly demonstrated by the high standards she has established for her student-athletes, staff and herself both on and off the court." Seifert's first SMU team, composed of freshmen and a pair of junior college transfers, was just one win away from earning the final seed in the 1996 WAC Tournament. The Mustangs finished 15-19 in 1997, an eight-win improvement from the 1996 squad. SMU won its WAC Quad in 1997, posting a 5-1 record against Rice, TCU, Tulsa and NCAA Tournament qualifier Arkansas-Little Rock. The 1999 season was the first 20-win season in program history as SMU posted a 20-13 mark with a demanding schedule that featured nine matches against NCAA Tournament teams. It was also the Mustangs' first winning season. The Ponies' 9-3 home record was the best in school history. During that season, Seifert recorded her 50th coaching victory with SMU's 3-1 win at Rice on Oct. 28, 1999. In 2000, SMU set a school record for attendance when 1,455 fans witnessed the Mustangs' 3-0 sweep of the Texas Longhorns in Moody Coliseum. The win not only solidified the Ponies' place as a contender in the state of Texas, but also marked their first win over one of the nation's most elite programs. Seifert also graduated her first four-year class in 2001, with a pair of Ponies, Leslie Olson and Erin Pryor, ending their careers ranked among WAC career leaders in assists and kills. The 2001 campaign saw SMU notch its first win over a regionally-ranked foe, when the Mustangs edged San Jose State, 3-2. The team also finished with a winning record and had five All-WAC selections, including all three seniors. SMU was awarded its first pair of first-team honors and brought the program's total of All-Conference performers to seven. The Mustangs went into rebuilding mode in 2002, as four freshmen saw significant playing time, but still managed 12 wins and a WAC Tournament berth. At the end of the 2003 season, Seifert's team had won 23 games, and five of her players were named to All-WAC teams. Seifert was honored as WAC Coach of the Year for the first time, having led the Ponies to an amazing 11-2 conference mark and the Eastern Division Championship. The 2004 season ended at 14-14 as several key players battled injuries. Beth Karasek was named a unanimous All-WAC selection. The Mustangs concluded the 2005 season 12-16 overall and 8-7 in conference. In 2005, SMU saw a transition into another conference. As the Mustangs joined Conference USA, they depended on the combination of a consistent returning class and strong newcomers to guide them through the season. The Mustangs went 13-16 overall and 8-7 in their inaugural season of C-USA. The team notched the nation's 23rd-highest number of digs per game while freshman Natalie Peters posted the 34th best number of blocks per game in the nation. In 2006, the Mustangs compiled an overall record of 17-15 and notched several milestones in the process. SMU hosted its first nationally-televised match and the first volleyball action televised from Moody Coliseum on Nov. 10, when the Mustangs hosted Houston. With a win over UTA on Sept. 1, the Mustangs and Seifert recorded the programs 150th win. Junior outside hitter Rachel Giubilato led the Mustangs as the only member of the team to be ranked nationally in kills per game during much of the 2006 season. Freshmen Kendra Kahanek and Candice Davis joined Giubilato in rewriting the SMU record book in more than 10 different statistical categories. The 2007 season saw the best start in program history, with the Mustangs winning their first six matches, including SMU's first win over Texas Tech. The Ponies were 10-3 heading into the championship match at the New Hampshire Invitational, when outside hitter and team captain Giubilato went down with a career-ending knee injury. The Mustangs were forced to rely heavily on All-Freshman outside hitter Kathryn Wilkerson and senior co-captain Caitlin Rainbird. Despite some statistically meaningful performances, SMU fell to 16-15 on the season and was eliminated in the first round of the C-USA tournament. Seifert joined SMU after six years as assistant coach at Texas Tech. The Lady Raiders compiled an overall record of 128-62 during Seifert's tenure, with NCAA tournament appearances from 1990-92 and regional semifinal berths in 1990 and 1991. A 1978 graduate of Saint Francis (Minn.) High School, Seifert held volleyball, softball, track and basketball coaching jobs at several different colleges and high schools in Colorado, Wisconsin and Minnesota from 1982-86. Seifert earned her B.S. in physical education in 1983 from Winona State (Minn.) University, where she played volleyball and softball, and added a master's degree in physical education from Wisconsin-LaCrosse in 1987. Seifert Year-By-Year Total Home Away Neutral W L PCT. W L PCT. W L PCT. W L PCT. 1996 7 24 .226 3 10 .231 2 9 .182 2 5 .286 1997 15 19 .441 5 7 .417 5 10 .333 5 2 .714 1998 14 17 .452 9 5 .643 2 10 .167 3 2 .600 1999 20 13 .606 9 3 .750 6 7 .462 5 3 .625 2000 14 17 .452 7 7 .500 2 9 .182 5 1 .833 2001 14 13 .519 7 5 .583 5 8 .385 2 0 1.000 2002 12 17 .414 5 6 .455 3 8 .273 4 3 .571 2003 23 7 .767 11 1 .917 7 4 .636 5 2 .714 2004 14 14 .500 6 8 .429 5 4 .556 3 2 .600 2005 13 16 .448 9 3 .750 2 8 .200 2 5 .286 2006 17 15 .531 9 6 .600 4 7 .367 4 2 .667 2007 16 15 .516 8 8 .500 5 6 .456 3 1 .750 TOTAL 179 187 .489 88 69 .566 48 90 .345 43 28 .637
SMU, the only Division I athletic program in Dallas, Texas, sponsors 17 sports and has been ranked as the top school in its conference for 10 of the last 11 years in the Director's Cup overall athletic rankings. More information about SMU and its coaches, student-athletes and teams is available at www.SMUMustangs.com.
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