LIVINGSTON, Ala. – The Southern Arkansas volleyball team closed its regular season with a 3-1 loss to West Alabama Saturday at Pruitt Hall, falling by scores of 21-25, 25-22, 22-25 and 23-25.
 
The Tigers (12-18) had four players in double-digit kills, with Carly Wehling getting 16, Tazra Pitts 13, Chanel Davis chipping in 12, and Sadie Beam adding 11.
 
Junior outside hitter Denise De Vine (Lake Elsinore, Calif.) had a season-high 21 kills for the Lady Muleriders (22-11), while senior hitter Courtney Smith (Mansfield, Texas) finished with 10, leaving her just eight shy of 1,000 kills for her career at 992.
 
SAU out-hit its host, .271 to .244, but West Alabama took advantage of 35 more attacks for a 64-52 margin in kills.
 
The Tigers also had 10 service aces to Southern Arkansas' four, and totaled nine team blocks to six.
 
Defensively, junior setter Lauren Woods (Kennedale, Texas) had a match-high 26 digs for the Lady Muleriders, and senior middle hitter Vanessa Ascencio (Montebello, Calif.) finished with five blocks.  Junior outside hitter Courtney Geesing (Montrose, Colo.) added 13 digs, and De Vine chipped in 11.
 
Cynthia Smith had 18 digs for West Alabama, and Davis had four blocks.
 
With the regular season behind them, SAU now sets its sights on the postseason Great American Conference tournament set for November 15-17 in Searcy at Harding's Rhodes Field House.
 
Southern Arkansas is the No. 3 seed in the tourney and competes in the first match on Thursday at noon against No. 6 East Central (Okla.).  They defeated the Lady Tigers 3-2 in the teams' only meeting this year in Magnolia.
 
The semi-finals are set for 3:30 and 6 p.m. Friday.  With a win Thursday, the Lady Muleriders would face the winner between No. 2 Arkansas Tech and No. 7 Arkansas-Monticello at 3:30 p.m. Friday.