Southern Methodist University Women's Volleyball

Coaching Honors and Awards • 2x AVCA Southwest Region Coach of the Year (2024, 2025) • LG Life's Good Coaches Award (2025) • AAC Coach of the Year (2023) Samantha “Sam” Erger (Ur-grr) was named Head Volleyball Coach at SMU in February of 2022. Has signed the No. 15 ranked recruiting class in the country by VBAdrenaline.com for 2026.  Coach Erger took SMU Volleyball further than it had ever gone before in the 2025 season, advancing past the Round of 32 and into the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history. The Mustangs defeated Central Arkansas and Florida in the opening rounds of the tournament to reached the Round of 16. Under Erger, the Mustangs finished the year with 27 wins (27-6), tying the program record for wins in a season, a mark that included 17 conference victories in year two of ACC membership. Coach Erger earned her 100th win at SMU with a 3-0 victory over Florida in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Four Mustangs were named AVCA All-Americans under Erger's leadership, led by Malaya Jones, who became the first Mustang to be named a First Team All-American. Averi Carlson earned Second Team All-American honors, while both Jadyn Livings and Favor Anyanwu were named Honorable Mention All-Americans. Carlson and Jones were selected to the All-ACC First Team, while Carlson was named ACC Setter of the Year. Anyanwu and Livings each were tabbed All-ACC Second Team honorees, and Kennedi Rogers got the nod for the ACC All-Freshman Team. Erger led an AVCA Southwest Region list that saw six SMU Volleyball individuals earn awards. Erger earned her second consecutive Region Coach of the Year honor while Jones, Carlson, Anyanwu, and Livings made the Southwest Region First Team. SMU had 13 ACC Player of the Week honors and collected five wins over ranked teams, two over top-5 teams, in 2025. Erger was one of two recipients of the 2025 LG Life's Good Coaches Award. She was honored in a segment, which aired during halftime of Duke-Arkansas men's college basketball game at the 2025 CBS Sports Thanksgiving Classic on Thursday, November 27. The LG Life's Good Coaches Award recognizes NCAA collegiate coaches who help break down the stigma around mental health issues, empower student-athletes through personal growth and foster environments that support mental well-being. The recipients were nominated by student-athletes who recognized NCAA coaches for creating supportive team environments and fostering mental health awareness.   In her third season at SMU, Erger was voted AVCA Southwest Region Coach of the Year after leading the program in its first season in the Power 4, earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and host-site honors for the opening two rounds for the first time in program history, becoming the first DFW school to be seeded high enough to host since UTA hosted in 1991. The Mustangs finished the year 25-8, finishing fourth in the ACC with a 16-4 conference record. Erger led the Mustangs to the program's fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, its second in-a-row, and an opening round tourney win, sweeping Wichita State. Erger's Mustangs defeated seven ranked teams in 2024, including No. 1 Pitt and No. 2 Nebraska. The Mustangs also collected a program record of 12 road wins in her third season on the Hilltop.   Erger mentored four All-ACC and four AVCA All-Region Selections. Naya Shime and Celia Cullen were named First-Team All-Conference and All-Region Selection. At the same time, Natalie Foster and Maya Tabron earned a spot on the ACC Second-Team and All-Region honorable mention accolades. Shime and Cullen were also named AVCA All-Americans, with Shime being selected to the third team, the program's first player to make an All-American Team, and Cullen bringing in honorable mention recognition. Under Coach Erger, the Mustangs have had four players drafted into the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), three coming in 2024, as Naya Shime, Natalie Foster, and Maya Tabron were selected in the second and third rounds of the draft. Emma Clothier was the first Mustangs drafted in 2023. Erger's second season (2023) on the Hilltop was one for the record books. Erger was named the 2023 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after the Mustangs finished the season with a 26-7 overall record and won the AAC championship. SMU finished league play with an 18-1 record, marking the best conference winning percentage in program history (.947), and won the program's first league title since 2016. The Mustangs rode a 15-match win streak into the NCAA Tournament and entered as a No. 7 seed after seven straight sweeps. SMU swept Texas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to finish the month of November without dropping a set.  Erger mentored five All-AAC and two AVCA All-Region Selections, including the American's Player of the Year Emma Clothier, Setter of the Year Celia Cullen, and Libero of the Year Sina Uluave. Jamison Wheeler was named a First-Team selection, and Natalie Perdue earned a spot on the Second-Team. Clothier and Cullen both earned All-Region honors.  The 2023 Mustangs finished their campaign with the best team season attacking percentage in program history (.257). SMU tied for the fourth most aces per set (1.50) while recording the eighth most aces in program history with 166. SMU was top-10 in program history with 446 blocks and passed out the 15th most assists with 1466. Erger completed her first season (2022) as head coach on the Hilltop with a 22-10 overall record. Selected fifth in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, the Mustangs finished third with a 15-5 clip in league play.  Erger guided Marieke van der Mark and Jamison Wheeler to first-team All-AAC honors, and Celia Cullen to second-team honors. It marked the first time since 2019 that two Mustangs garnered first-team honors. SMU collected the third most selections in the conference under Erger. Erger came to the Hilltop after eight seasons at Baylor, where she spent the last two seasons as associate head coach. Prior to her promotion, she spent five seasons as an assistant coach and one season as director of operations in Waco. In addition to her role as an assistant coach, she also served as Baylor’s recruiting coordinator and setting coach. Under her guidance, her 2022 class is ranked No. 4 by PrepVolleyball.com and includes the Gatorade National Player of the Year, setter Averi Carlson. As she leaves Waco, the 2023 Bears’ class is ranked No. 9 in the country. Their 2021 class was also ranked No. 9 by VolleyballMag.com, the 2019 class was ranked No. 11 by PrepVolleyball.com and their 2017 class was also ranked in the top 20. Erger helped recruit the program's then-highest-ranked recruit from PrepVolleyball.com in Kara McGhee and also helped land three other UA All-Americans in 2019. In 2021, Erger helped lead Baylor to its third consecutive NCAA Regional Semifinal. It was the Bears’ sixth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 20+-win season. Her group of fifth-year seniors ended their careers with 91 wins over four years and 115 over five, making a National Semifinal and winning a Big 12 Championship in the process. The group also earned a No. 1 AVCA national ranking and No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2019. Prior to coming to Baylor, she made her head coaching debut at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas. Upon taking the position in 2013, she recruited 10 new players to complement only five returnees and led the young team to a 29-9 overall record, an NTJCAC Conference title and ended a 12-year Hill College drought by reaching the NJCAA Division I national tournament. She was subsequently honored as the 2013 NJCAA District F Coach of the Year. That same season, Erger coached Hill College’s first All-American since 1996. Erger had a two-year graduate assistant stint at NCAA Division II Findlay (Ohio) to begin her coaching career. There, she was responsible for training setters and assisted in recruiting efforts. After completing her collegiate playing career, Erger was a member of the inaugural class of the 2011 FCA Volleyball college internship program in Huntington Beach, Calif. In addition, she was a 2010 American Volleyball Coaches Association Coaches for Coaches scholarship recipient. Erger played NCAA Division I volleyball at Bowling Green State as a setter, and she left the school ranked fifth all-time in career assists, second all-time in single-season assists, and top 10 in career aces. As a freshman in 2007, Erger earned MAC All-Freshman team recognition. Erger graduated from BGSU in 2011 with a degree in business administration and marketing and completed a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Findlay in 2013. Erger has three sisters who all played collegiate volleyball. Rachel and Kristen played at Central Connecticut and Rochester College, respectively, while Jordan is the head coach at Dallas Baptist after a successful career at Virginia Tech and playing professionally in Denmark. In addition, Erger’s father, Jim Fish, is a prominent high school volleyball coach at North Branch High School in North Branch, Mich. Erger’s husband, James, played basketball at BGSU. The couple has three children: sons, Malachi and Micah, and daughter, Demi. What They’re Saying About Sam Erger Ryan McGuyre, Baylor Head Coach “Sam Erger is an incredible hire for SMU. I’m confident Sam will take SMU to unprecedented levels. She combines a relentless work ethic with a passionate desire to teach. She loves the whole athlete. She is an elite level coach and will soon be considered one of the country’s best. Her vision and wisdom will permeate every facet of the program. SMU fans can look forward to thrilling and exciting volleyball matches.”   Jim Barnes, Iowa Head Coach “SMU and Sam Erger are a perfect fit. Sam’s passion for the game and for her players will make an immediate impact on the program. She is a true rising star in our profession.”   Shelly Stafford, Three-time All-American (Baylor), USA National Team Member, Pro Volleyball Player “As I look back on my five years at Baylor, I attribute a huge portion of my success and growth to Sam Erger. Sam has an incredible ability to influence and inspire those around her to become the best version of themselves. I feel that is exactly what she was able to do for me, motivate me to become the best version of myself on the court, in the classroom, in life and most importantly through my relationship with The Lord. I am so excited for Sam to embark on this new journey with SMU Volleyball because I am confident she will bring her passion and determination for success to that program just as she radiated it at Baylor. SMU really got a good one.”

Trent Sorensen was named Associate Head Coach for Mustang volleyball in February 2022. Helped sign the No. 15 ranked recruiting class in the country by VBAdrenaline.com for 2026.  Sorensen arrived on the Hilltop from Kansas State where he spent seven seasons serving in an assistant coaching role with the Wildcats' volleyball team.   In his fourth season on the Hilltop as Associate Head Coach helped take SMU volleyball further than it had ever gone before in the 2025 season, advancing past the Round of 32 and into the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history. The Mustangs defeated Central Arkansas and Florida in the opening rounds of the tournament to reached the Round of 16. SMU finished the season with 27 wins (27-6), tying the program record for wins in a season.  Under the leaderships of Sorenson in 2025, SMU saw four players been selected as All-Americans including the programs first-ever First Team All-American in Malaya Jones. Five Mustangs earned ACC postseason honors, including, the ACC Setter of the Year, two first-team selections, two second -team selections and a freshman team selection. SMU also had four Southwest All-Region selections in year four with Sorensen.  Sorensen played a key part in helping SMU Volleyball earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and host-site honors for the opening two rounds for the first time in program history, becoming the first DFW school to be seeded high enough to host since UTA hosted in 1991. Sorensen got an opportunity to coach for USA Volleyball in the National Training Development Program (NTDP) in the summer ahead of the 2025 season. He participated in the Girls Indoor Spring Training Series, which ran from May 8-11 at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. The Mustangs finished the season 25-8, finishing fourth in the ACC with a 16-4 conference record, and guided SMU to its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, its second in-a-row, and an opening round tourney win, sweeping Wichita State. With Sorensen as the Associate Head Coach, Mustangs defeated seven ranked teams in 2024, including No. 1 Pitt and No. 2 Nebraska. The Mustangs also collected a program record of 12 round wins in her third season on the Hilltop.   Sorensen helped mentor four All-ACC and four AVCA All-Region Selections. Naya Shime and Celia Cullen were named First-Team All-Conference and All-Region Selection. At the same time, Natalie Foster and Maya Tabron earned a spot on the ACC Second-Team and All-Region honorable mention accolades. Shime and Cullen were also named AVCA All-Americans, with Shime being selected to the third team, the program's first player to make an All-American Team, and Cullen bringing in honorable mention recognition.  The Mustangs have had four players drafted into the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), three coming in 2024, as Naya Shime, Natalie Foster, and Maya Tabron were selected in the second and third rounds of the draft. Emma Clothier was the first Mustangs drafted in 2023. In Sorensen's second year on the Hilltop, the Mustangs finished the season with a 26-7 overall record and won the American Athletic Conference championship. SMU finished league play with an 18-1 record, marking the best conference winning percentage in program history (.947), and won the program's first league title since 2016. The Mustangs rode a 15-match win streak into the NCAA Tournament and entered as a No. 7 seed after seven straight sweeps. SMU swept Texas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to finish the month of November without dropping a set.  Sorenson helped aid five All-AAC and two AVCA All-Region Selections, including the American's Player of the Year Emma Clothier, Setter of the Year Celia Cullen, and Libero of the Year Sina Uluave. Jamison Wheeler was named a First-Team selection, and Natalie Perdue earned a spot on the Second-Team. Clothier and Cullen both earned All-Region honors.  During his seven seasons in Manhattan, Kansas, Sorensen specialized in training and recruiting, landing top-30 recruiting classes in three consecutive seasons (2018-20). In his first two seasons with the program, he helped guide K-State in back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances and consecutive top-four finishes in the Big 12. In his second season as associate head coach, Sorensen helped lead the Wildcats to a top-three finish in the Big 12 after finishing eighth just one season before. Prior to his collegiate coaching debut, Sorensen was a highly respected coach in prep volleyball as part of the Tejas Volleyball club program in Fort Worth, where he coached 15 and 17-year-old age groups. Before his coaching career began, Sorensen competed at the Division I level playing on the BYU men's volleyball team from 2005 to 2008. During his career, he played in 87 matches, totaling 337 kills. He served as team captain in his final season with the Cougars, ending his run with all-conference honorable mention honors and an AVCA All-American nomination. Sorensen and his wife Kim, who also played collegiate volleyball for BYU, have four children – Aiden, Sienna, Reece, and Gavin.

Christa Branson was named Assistant Coach and Recruiting Coordinator for Mustang Volleyball in February 2023 after serving the program as the Director of Operations for the 2022 season. Helped sign the No. 15 ranked recruiting class in the country by VBAdrenaline.com for 2026.  In her fourth season on the Hilltop, Branson helped take SMU volleyball further than it had ever gone before in the 2025 season, advancing past the Round of 32 and into the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in program history. The Mustangs defeated Central Arkansas and Florida in the opening rounds of the tournament to reached the Round of 16. SMU finished the season with 27 wins (27-6), tying the program record for wins in a season.  Under her guidance as both assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, SMU saw four players be selected as All-Americans including the programs first-ever First Team All-American in Malaya Jones. Five Mustangs earned ACC postseason honors, including the ACC Setter of the Year, and four earned Southwest All-Region selections.  In the summer ahead of the 2025 season, Branson got opportunities to Coach for USA Volleyball this summer in the National Training Development Program (NTDP), taking part in the session in Hamilton, Ohio, which ran from July 29-Aug. In 2024, Branson was an instrumental part in helping SMU volleyball earn a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and host-site honors for the opening two rounds for the first time in program history, becoming the first DFW school to be seeded high enough to host since UTA hosted in 1991. As recruiting coordinator, Branson played a significant role in helping garner the No. 1-ranked transfer portal class in the country for the 2024 season. The Mustangs finished the season 25-8, finishing fourth in the ACC with a 16-4 conference record, and guided SMU to its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, its second in-a-row, and an opening round tourney win, sweeping Wichita State. With Branson on staff, Mustangs defeated seven ranked teams in 2024, including No. 1 Pitt and No. 2 Nebraska. The Mustangs also collected a program record of 12 round wins in her third season on the Hilltop.   Branson helped mentor four All-ACC and four AVCA All-Region Selections. Naya Shime and Celia Cullen were named First-Team All-Conference and All-Region Selection. At the same time, Natalie Foster and Maya Tabron earned a spot on the ACC Second-Team and All-Region honorable mention accolades. Shime and Cullen were also named AVCA All-Americans, with Shime being selected to the third team, the program's first player to make an All-American Team, and Cullen bringing in honorable mention recognition. The 2024 transfer class was ranked top-10 in the country, spearheaded by Branson as the recruiting coordinator.  The Mustangs have had four players drafted into the Pro Volleyball Federation (PVF), three coming in 2024, as Naya Shime, Natalie Foster, and Maya Tabron were selected in the second and third rounds of the draft. Emma Clothier was the first Mustangs drafted in 2023. In Branson's second year on the Hilltop, the Mustangs finished the season with a 26-7 overall record and won the American Athletic Conference championship. SMU finished league play with an 18-1 record, marking the best conference winning percentage in program history (.947), and won the program's first league title since 2016. The Mustangs rode a 15-match win streak into the NCAA Tournament and entered as a No. 7 seed after seven straight sweeps. SMU swept Texas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to finish the month of November without dropping a set.  Branson helped guide five All-AAC and two AVCA All-Region Selections, including the American's Player of the Year Emma Clothier, Setter of the Year Celia Cullen, and Libero of the Year Sina Uluave. Jamison Wheeler was named a First-Team selection, and Natalie Perdue earned a spot on the Second-Team. Clothier and Cullen both earned All-Region honors.  Branson arrived on the Hilltop from West Texas A&M University where she served in an assistant coaching role with the Lady Buffs volleyball team. During her time in Canyon, Texas, Branson specialized in training middles and blocking while assisting in recruiting for the program.  West Texas A&M Lady Buffs won the Lone Star Conference Tournament Championship, reached the Division II NCAA Elite 8 and had two All- America selections.   Prior to West Texas A&M, Branson served as Interim Head Coach for Lubbock Christian University (2020) and Assistant Coach (2018-20). Previous to her collegiate coaching debut, Branson coached at Lubbock Christian High School (2016-17) where she led the team to appearances in the TAPPS 4A Regional Tournament. Before her coaching career began, Branson (Daniel) competed at Division II LCU from 2011 to 2014. During her career, she played in 83 matches, reaching 6.13 digs/set as the libero and team captain for the Chaps. Branson and her husband Alex have a son, Bishop.  

Diego Aguilar was promoted to Assistant Coach after the 2025 season. Aguilar spent the previous two seasons as the program's Technical Coordinator after serving as a graduate assistant in 2023. In the summer prior to the 2025 season, Aguilar earned national recognition when he was selected as a 2025 AVCA 30 Under 30 award winner, which highlights the top coaches around the country under 30. In the 2025 season, Aguilar helped lead the program to a 27-6 record, tied for the most wins in program history, which earned the program its first Sweet Sixteen appearance. In his role as technical coordinator, Aguilar managed the team's video, data, and technology needs, including filming practices and matches, breaking down film, and preparing statistical and scouting reports. He supported coaches by analyzing opponents' tendencies, assisting with practice planning, and ensuring all technical systems run smoothly to enhance team performance. In his second season on the Hilltop (2024), the Mustangs finished the season 25-8, finishing fourth in the ACC with a 16-4 conference record, and guided SMU to its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance, its second in-a-row, and an opening round tourney win, sweeping Wichita State. SMU defeated seven ranked teams in 2024, including No. 1 Pitt and No. 2 Nebraska. The Mustangs also collected a program record of 12 ranked wins in their third season on the Hilltop. Aguilar helped coach four All-ACC and four AVCA All-Region Selections. Naya Shime and Celia Cullen were named First-Team All-Conference and All-Region Selection. At the same time, Natalie Foster and Maya Tabron earned a spot on the ACC Second-Team and All-Region honorable mention accolades. Shime and Cullen were also named AVCA All-Americans, with Shime being selected to the third team, the program's first player to make an All-American Team, and Cullen bringing in honorable mention recognition. In Aguilar's first year on the Hilltop, the Mustangs finished the season with a 26-7 overall record and won the American Athletic Conference championship. SMU finished league play with an 18-1 record, marking the best conference winning percentage in program history (.947), and won the program's first league title since 2016. The Mustangs rode a 15-match win streak into the NCAA Tournament and entered as a No. 7 seed after seven straight sweeps. SMU swept Texas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to finish the month of November without dropping a set. Aguilar was a part of a staff that helped guide five All-AAC and two AVCA All-Region Selections, including the American's Player of the Year Emma Clothier, Setter of the Year Celia Cullen, and Libero of the Year Sina Uluave. Jamison Wheeler was named a First-Team selection, and Natalie Perdue earned a spot on the Second-Team. Clothier and Cullen both earned All-Region honors. Aguilar started his collegiate career as a setter for Morningside University.  He transferred to Missouri Valley College, where he played as a setter and graduated in 2022 with a degree in business management. Aguilar competed for Club Texas Volleyball, where he now coaches.  

Carissa Barnes joined the SMU Volleyball program in the spring of 2026.  Prior to SMU, Barnes spent two season as an assistant coach at North Texas, joining the Mean Green staff ahead of the 2024 fall season. Before her coaching career began, Barnes had a decorated playing career at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas, where she was a three-time AVCA All-Region Honorable Mention selection and three-time Southland Conference Libero of the Year at A&M-Corpus Christi. As an Islander, Barnes was named to the SLC All-Conference team in each of her four seasons before she won the national championship at the University of Texas in 2023. She also helped lead A&M-Corpus Christi to three SLC titles and two NCAA Tournament appearances while adding three Southland All-Academic First Team selections. Barnes earned a Bachelor of Science degree magna cum laude in kinesiology in May 2023 before her graduate transfer to the University of Texas.  Barnes grew up in Weatherford, Texas and led Weatherford High School to two area championships and four district titles. She earned all-district honors in each of her four seasons, including the district MVP award as a junior. She was also named academic all-district each year. She is engaged to current Assistant Coach Diego Aguilar. The two reside in Irving, Texas.