ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The first conference match of the season for the Southern Arkansas volleyball team was a classic GAC tilt, but it did not yield the desired result as the Lady Muleriders lost in five sets to Ouachita Baptist on Tuesday night at the Sturgis PE Center in Arkadelphia.
 
After losing the opening set 25-21, the Lady Muleriders (6-4, 0-1 GAC) came back in the second set and showed amazing resolve as they edged the Lady Tigers (7-1, 0-1 GAC) 29-27. In that second set, SAU jumped out to a 5-0 lead thanks to four points (three service aces) from freshman Hailey McNee. Following that furious start, OBU began to climb back into the set.
 
During the middle of the set, the two teams would take turns leading as neither team could pull away. The tight play would carry on late in the set as there were ties of 20-all, 21-all, 24-all, 25-all, 26-all, and 27-all. With the set tied at 27-all, the Lady Muleriders would grab set-point as McNee hammered home the team's 28th point. Having fought off set-point four times already in the set, the Lady Tigers would be unable to make it a fifth time as an attack error gave the set to SAU.
 
Set three was the most lopsided set of the match as the Lady Tigers sprinted out to a 9-1 lead. The early start by OBU would prove to be too much to overcome as the Lady Muleriders eventually dropped the set 25-10.
 
Just as they did in the second set responding to an earlier set loss, the Lady Muleriders took control of the fourth set early by grabbing a 7-1 lead. Keeping with the similarities of the match, the Lady Tigers would battle back into the set and the middle of the set featured several ties and lead changes.  
 
With the set knotted up at 16-all, the Lady Muleriders would begin to regain firm control of the set as they collected three of the next four points to take a 19-17 lead. An unforced error by the Lady Muleriders would bring their lead down to a point, 19-18, but SAU would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way as they eventually won the set 25-23, forcing a decisive fifth set.
 
In that fifth set, the Lady Muleriders would take a commanding 7-3 lead, but an attack error on the ensuing service ended their momentum and pulled OBU to within three points, 7-4. Eventually, the set would reach its midway point with the score tied at 8-all. From there, SAU grabbed the next two points on kills to take a 10-8 lead. SAU would later that an 11-9 lead before OBU rallied to knot the set once more, 11-all.
 
Back to back kills for SAU by Courtney Geesing and Amanda Monge gave the Lady Muleriders a 13-11 advantage, and prompted a timeout by OBU. Following the timeout, OBU would rattle off consecutive points on kills by Abby Pickett to tie the set at 13-all. The two-point run prompted a timeout by SAU.
 
Out of the timeout, the Lady Tigers gave themselves match-point as they got a kill from Jayme Shell. On the ensuing service, SAU's Logan Tolbert attacked to tie the set, but it went too far, resulting in an attack error, giving the Lady Tigers the match win in thrilling fashion.
 
Despite the loss, the Lady Muleriders showed once more that they possess a dangerous service game as they totaled 12 service aces as a team. McNee led the way in that category with six aces. Hannah Rice and Amanda Monge were next in line with two aces each. Courtney Geesing and Allie Cecil collected the other two aces as each netted one.
 
McNee, Tolbert, and Geesing recorded double-digit kills with McNee's 17 kills leading the way. Rice paced the offense with 45 of the team's 48 assists. Lauren Woods came away with the most digs on the team with 27. In the block department, Monge led the way with four assisted blocks.
 
The Lady Muleriders will next be in action on Tuesday, September 24 as they will play in the friendly confines of the W.T. Watson Center for the first time this season. That match will feature another GAC tilt as SAU will play host to Henderson State. First serve is set for 7:00 p.m.