[October 22, 2006]

MAGNOLIA, Ark. - The Southern Arkansas University volleyball team saw any hopes of a Gulf South Conference tournament appearance disappear Sunday as Christian Brothers University not only spoiled that, but Senior Day as well. The Lady Muleriders had command of the match in jumping out to a 2-0 lead, but lost their steam and dropped the final three games (30-21, 30-26, 21-30, 12-30, and 11-15). The Lady Buccaneers improve to 14-14 overall and 3-8 in Gulf South Conference action, while SAU falls to 9-15 and 2-9.

Up 18-13 in the third game, Southern Arkansas watched helplessly as CBU went on a 34-5 scoring run over the third and fourth games, to pull out the game three win and take a commanding 17-2 lead in game four. Christian Brothers had lost its past six matches, including at Henderson State on Saturday, before overcoming the 2-0 deficit and pulling out the victory over the Lady Muleriders.

All-GSC Laura Washington led all players with 23 kills, hitting .400 for the match. Jenna Cherry added 18 kills, and Krista Gyarmati finished with 11. Lauren Amundson served up a match-high 55 assists, and Bridget Buckley had a match-high five service aces. Buckley also had a team-high 26 digs, Gyarmati chipped in 18, and Cherry and Amundson contributed 14 and 13, respectively. Aubrey Pancratz was strong at the net with five blocks.

Kristina Daily guided SAU with 13 kills, Brandi Beeson added 12, and Shelly Jones chipped in 10. Andrea Spradlin tossed up a team-high 30 assists, and Jones had three service aces. Mallory McKee got on the floor for a match-high 27 digs, and Jones finished with 20. Jessie Mailhes, the lone senior for Southern Arkansas, and who was honored in a brief pre-match ceremony, finished with a match-high six blocks.

Christian Brothers overcame a slow hitting start to finish at .213 for the match with 66 kills. The Lady Muleriders hit .180 and had 58 kills.

SAU closes out its 2006 season on Tuesday as they host the University of Arkansas-Monticello in a 7 p.m. match at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.

#SAU#