MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas Mulerider Volleyball team returns to action on Tuesday inside the W.T. Watson Center as they welcome in Arkansas-Monticello and Williams Baptist for a tri-match. The Muleriders and the Blossoms meet at 2 p.m. in a Great American Conference matchup while the latter plays Williams Baptist in the 4 p.m. match. Southern Arkansas and the Eagles will close out the night at 6 p.m.
 
The Muleriders (3-10, 0-3 GAC) will look to snap a nine-match losing streak on Tuesday afternoon as they battle their league rival in Arkansas-Monticello (1-14, 0-3 GAC) who comes to Magnolia having lost their last dozen matches. Both teams will be looking for their first GAC win of the season. Since 2011, when the south Arkansas universities joined the Great American Conference, Southern Arkansas holds a 10-4 series advantage, including a win in the teams' last meeting in 2017: a four-set win in late October.
 
Williams Baptist comes to Magnolia with a 2-11 record overall. The Eagles, a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Muleriders have played five times since the latter joined the GAC with SAU claiming all five victories.
 
Southern Arkansas is hitting .120 (483-290-1615) this season, while opponents are hitting .217. SAU averages 10.50 kills per set, 9.65 assists per set, and 14.57 digs per set. The Muleriders rank in the top half of the league in blocks per set with the GAC's fourth-best per set average of 1.83 and the team also owns the conference's sixth-most service aces per set at 1.54.
 
True freshman Camryn Bihary (205 digs) ranks fourth in the GAC in digs per set at 4.46 and classmate Lexi Kruse (160 assists) ranks fifth in service aces per set at 0.40; 0.05 service aces per set more than Bihary who ranks tenth in the league. Bihary and Kruse have each recorded 16 service aces this season.
 
Sophomore Lauren Smith, the team's top blocker, is currently sixth in the GAC in blocks per set at 0.93.
 
Sophomore Bailey Cagle is seven kills away from reaching the century mark, while sophomore Morgan Gross ranks second with 75 kills. Four other Muleriders have recorded 50 or more kills this season.
 
For Arkansas-Monticello, the Blossoms are hitting .133 (534-295-1797), but allow a league-high .272 opponent hitting percentage. Additionally, UAM averages 10.27 kills, 9.73 assists, and 1.42 service aces per set. Defensively, the Blossoms dig 14.60 attacks per set and produce 1.07 blocks per set.
 
UAM's Jessica Mahan (191 digs) holds the lone Top 10 GAC mark for the team with the tenth-highest digs per set average of 3.90.
 
Megan Orth leads the team with 107 kills, while Shayna Daniels is the top setter with 297 assists at 5.71 per set. Three players average a half of a block per set. MarKayla Dickie leads the team in total points with 146.0 at 2.81 points per set.
 
The Eagles are hitting .095 as a team and allow opponents to attack at a clip of .251. Williams Baptist owns team per set averages of 8.9 kills, 7.7 assists, 1.6 service aces, 13.6 digs, and 0.8 blocks.

Audra Nailling leads the team in kills with 167 and in kills per set at 4.0, while Alyssa Leatherman has added 80 kills. Molly Mingo's 167 assists and Sarah Kennedy's 110 assists pace the team. Shelby Henson and Kayla Roberts have combined for 41 service aces, while Henson's 238 digs lead the Eagles.