MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Junior Serena LeDuff produced 13 kills and nine digs, while sophomore Alli O'Banion delivered with 10 kills and five assisted blocks to lead the Southern Arkansas Lady Mulerider Volleyball team to a 3-0 sweep (25-21, 26-24, 25-22) over Harding to earn their fourth-consecutive win and in the process became the first SAU team to win against the Lady Bisons since September 25, 2003.
 
The Lady Muleriders (8-7, 3-2 GAC) controlled the tempo from early on as SAU held Harding (6-10, 3-2 GAC) to hitting percentages of .071 and .093 in the first two sets, respectively. Defensively, Southern Arkansas matched the Lady Bisons (league-leaders in blocks/set) block for block as the Lady Muleriders recorded six blocks led by O'Banion's aforementioned five assisted blocks and junior Gillian Newman's four assisted blocks.
 
Back and forth action dictated the first half of the opening set as Harding took a 13-10 lead before a kill from LeDuff and a pair of Lady Bisons attack errors knotted the frame at 13. A Harding kill on the next serve gave HU their last lead of the first set as a pair of kills from O'Banion and a kill from senior Shelby Lauterbach highlighted a 4-1 run that gave SAU a 17-15 lead.
 
Harding would tie the first set at 17, but a 5-1 Lady Mulerider stretch highlighted by LeDuff and senior Emilie Aase blasting a kill apiece to give Southern Arkansas the momentum, while electrifying the W.T. Watson Athletic Center. O'Banion and Newman put the final touch on the first set by registering a huge block.
 
The Lady Mulerider defense registered arguably their best performance all year and it came up big late in the second frame as Southern Arkansas weathered a pair of four-plus runs from Harding before a Lady Bisons block attempt went wide off of an O'Banion kill to give SAU the 2-0 match lead.
 
Trailing 12-11 in the third set after a 5-0 HU run, O'Banion evened the set with a spirited kill, before LeDuff added an emphatic 18^th point via kill after a long rally to put SAU out front by two, 18-16. Harding again pulled to within 23-22, but Aase delivered in the clutch with a kill setting the stage for a game-ending service ace from sophomore Savannah Pillow.
 
Lauterbach and Aase each added seven kills, while senior Taylor Reaume recorded her 14^th 30+ assists game by registering 39 of SAU's 42 assists. Junior Hannah Rice collected 20 digs, a season-high for a three-set match, in a busy night competing against a Harding offense facilitated through a pair of setters. Juniors Brittney Johnson and Paige Mays each added ten digs apiece as SAU produced a season-high 63 digs for a three-set match.
 
LeDuff's 38 attacks and Reaume's 39 assists were season-highs for a three-set match as SAU picked up only their third victory over the Lady Bisons since 1999.
 
Southern Arkansas returns to action this Saturday for the Missouri S&T Tri-Match in Rolla, Missouri. The Lady Muleriders will open play with a 3:45 p.m. first-serve against Missouri-St. Louis, followed by a 7:30 matchup with Missouri S&T. Fans can follow all the action via live stats here: http://www.sidearmstats.com/mst/wvball/.
 
Be sure to check out muleriderathletics.com for all your Lady Mulerider Volleyball pregame news and postgame results as well as the coach's show with Head Coach Steven Gream.