MONTICELLO, Ark. – Freshman outside hitter Hailey McNee hammered home 34 kills across both of Southern Arkansas' matches on Friday as she helped SAU come away with a 3-1 win over Union University and a 3-2 win over the University of West Alabama on the opening day of the Hampton Inn Invitational, hosted by the University of Arkansas at Monticello
 
McNee, a native of Bentonville, got her day off to a great start as she racked up 14 kills on 34 total attacks in the Lady Muleriders' (5-3) first match against Union. In that match, SAU dropped the first set 25-22, but bounced back to take the next three sets to secure the match win.
 
A contributing factor to the Lady Muleriders' ability to take the final three sets against Union was the seven service aces the team would collect after the first set. Complementing the productive serving, was a stout offensive attack as the Lady Muleriders would total 37 kills and hit at a clip of .268 over the final three sets.
 
In their second match of the day, SAU took on a former conference foe in West Alabama. Coming into the match, UWA was 5-1 on the year, and the two would play one of the best matches of the tournament so far as it went the full five sets and then some.
 
The Lady Muleriders struck first as they fought back from a 21-17 deficit in the opening set to take a 22-21 lead. Following that 5-0 run to give SAU the lead, the two teams would trade the next couple of points to make the set 23-22 in favor of SAU. Consecutive points gave UWA set-point, but following a SAU timeout, the Lady Muleriders would score twice to earn set-point themselves, 25-24. Déjà vu struck once more for UWA giving them their second set-point, but this time the Lady Muleriders would pick up the next three points to earn the set win.
 
Set two would not be as closely contested as West Alabama raced out to a 6-0 lead. UWA would hold on to that lead the remainder of the set as they evened the match at a set apiece.  
 
Set three went to SAU, 25-22, thanks, in part, to nine attack errors by UWA and just three committed by SAU.
 
Just as the match had played out thus far, the back and forth affair continued as West Alabama nabbed the fourth set, 25-21, to force the definitive fifth set.
 
In that decisive 15-point set, SAU would jump out to a 3-1 lead. West Alabama would rally and the two teams would play within a couple of points of one another throughout the middle portion of the set. With the score knotted at 13-all, UWA would benefit from a Courtney Geesing attack error to give them match-point. Geesing would redeem that error soon after as she tallied a kill on the next point to tie the set up 14-all. On the ensuing service, SAU would benefit from a UWA attack error to give them match-point.
 
With match-point on the line, a trio of true freshmen would combine for the match-winning point as Ally Rodriguez's serve later resulted in a kill from Logan Tolbert as she was fed by Hannah Rice.
 
The Lady Muleriders will return to the court on Saturday for two more matches starting at 9 a.m. against Kentucky Wesleyan. SAU will then take on Missouri Southern at 2 p.m.