SEARCY, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas volleyball team suffered its second consecutive shutout and lost a crucial Great American Conference match in falling 0-3 to first-place Harding Tuesday at Rhodes Field House.  Scores were 18-25, 19-25 and 23-25.
 
The loss dropped the Lady Muleriders (17-8, 8-2 GAC) to third in the league standings, a half match behind Arkansas Tech's 8-1 conference mark, while the Lady Bisons (21-6, 10-0 GAC) remain alone at the top.  Southwestern Oklahoma State (7-3) is a match behind SAU in fourth.
 
Southern Arkansas doesn't get a chance to avenge itself against Harding, as this was the lone match of the season between the two teams because of schedule rotation.  They don't play Southwestern Oklahoma again either, after defeating them 3-1 in Weatherford, Okla., in September, but do get another chance at Tech in their final GAC match of the season November 8 in Russellville.  ATU won the first meeting, 3-1, last Tuesday in Magnolia.
 
The Lady Muleriders gave the Lady Bisons a tough battle, matching them to a 10-10 tie in the first set before Harding used an 8-0 run to pull away.  They were tied in the second set at 7-7, but the Lady Bisons went on another run, this one of 11-2 to build an 18-9 lead SAU couldn't overcome.  Southern Arkansas looked like it had gotten over the hump in the third set, using a 17-9 run to overcome a 10-5 deficit for a 22-19 advantage late, but Harding rallied with a 6-1 run to close it out, getting four kills from Mollie Arnold in the process.
 
The Lady Bisons held a narrow 45-42 edge in kills, hitting .327.  The Lady Muleriders hit .221, but hurt themselves with 17 attack errors, while Harding had only nine.  SAU also had seven service errors to just two by their hosts, and the Lady Bisons got eight team blocks to Southern Arkansas' two.
 
Arnold paced Harding with 13 kills, and Marindia Turner had 12.  Liv Savage turned in five blocks.
 
Junior outside hitter Denise De Vine (Lake Elsinore, Calif.) finished with a match-high 15 kills for the Lady Muleriders, while senior hitter Courtney Smith (Mansfield, Texas) added 10.  Junior libero Lauren Woods (Kennedale, Texas) finished with a match-high 23 digs.
 
SAU still has time to make up the difference in the league standings with four conference matches to go.  They host Henderson State Thursday at 7 p.m.