MONTICELLO, Ark. – After a pair of wins in the University of Arkansas at Monticello Hampton Inn Invitational on Friday, the Southern Arkansas volleyball team carried that momentum over into their matches on Saturday as they came away with a gritty 3-1 win over Kentucky Wesleyan in their first match and, at the time of this release*, were on top of Missouri Southern two sets to none.
 
In the match against Kentucky Wesleyan, the Lady Muleriders (6-3) got off to a fast start as they raced out to a 10-4 lead. During that early surge, the Lady Muleriders showed a strong service game as Hailey McNee tallied three service aces in a row. SAU would maintain about a six-point lead through the middle of the set before they ripped off six-straight points with the score 18-12 to give them set-point, 24-12. Kentucky Wesleyan would stave off the set loss for a bit, but SAU would eventually take the set 25-14.
 
In the second set, Kentucky Wesleyan would exact some revenge as they took the set by a score of 25-22. Fueling the second set win for Kentucky Wesleyan was an impressive 19-kill set. On the other end of the court, SAU would record a match-low 10 kills.
 
With the match tied at a set apiece, the third set played out with incredible intensity. Each team would go on significant runs early in the set to take a lead, but it was Kentucky Wesleyan who would take charge in the middle of the set as they went on a six-point run to take a dominant 17-8 lead. KWC would stretch their lead to 21-13 before the Lady Muleriders began their sensational comeback.
 
A kill by Logan Tolbert and three straight KWC attack errors pulled SAU to within four points, 21-17. After the two teams traded the next two points, the Lady Muleriders would go a four-point run to knot the set up at 22-all. For the rest of the set, the Lady Muleriders would face set-point four times, but staved it off each time. The final time, SAU would get a kill from McNee and then benefited from consecutive attack errors by KWC's Summer Alford to claim the set, 32-30.
 
Set four was similar to the third set as both teams went on early runs and it would take extra points to determine a winner. With the score tied 24-all, both teams traded the next six points to keep the set tied, 27-all. A kill from Tolbert and an attack error by KWC's Alford gave SAU the set and the match.
 
In the KWC match, Tolbert and McNee led the team in kills with 14 and 13, respectively.  Allie Cecil, Lauren Woods, Courtney Geesing, Hannah Rice, and McNee all had double-digit digs with Cecil leading the way with 20. Rice paced the offense with 35 assists.
 
*UPDATE – The match against Missouri Southern has been postponed due to a power outage in Monticello. It will resume from where play was suspended on November 3 in Joplin, Mo. SAU currently leads the match two sets to none and they  lead the third set 7-5.