MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Winners of two of their past three matches, Southern Arkansas Volleyball returns to the court tonight in Conway, Arkansas, for a non-conference matchup with the Hendrix Warriors at 6 p.m. on Garrison Court at Grove Gymnasium.
 
Tuesday night's meeting with Hendrix is the first of two remaining non-Great American Conference contests on the schedule. SAU is 1-4 in league play and currently in tenth place entering the week; one-game back of the current three-way tie for seventh-place.
 
Under third-year head coach Britney Davis, Southern Arkansas is 2-3 in non-conference road games dating back to 2016.
 
The Muleriders, in 57 sets played this year, are hitting .138 as a team and are averaging 10.8 kills per set. SAU has recorded 90 service aces this season and are averaging 10.0 assists per set. Defensively, Southern Arkansas digs 14.8 attacks per set and has totaled 101.0 blocks this season at 1.8 blocks per set behind 164 block assists.
 
Sophomores Bailey Cagle and Lauren Smith have played and started all 16 matches for the Muleriders this fall. Cagle has delivered a team-leading 120 kills at 2.26 per set, while Smith is one of seven players to have recorded 60 or more kills this season. Smith leads the team in total blocks with 49.0 at 0.89 per set and Cagle follows with 40.0 total blocks at 0.75 per set.
 
Sophomore Morgan Gross is seven kills from joining Cagle at the century mark, while freshman Rylea Brimhall leads the team with a 2.60 kills per set average and a .216 attack percentage among players with 200 or more attempts.
 
Freshmen Lexi Kruse and Caitlin Murdock control the offense with Kruse leading the team with 232 assists at 4.83 per set. Murdock, who has found a critical role in the offense, has produced 64 assists in her last 10 sets.
 
Of the aforementioned 90 service aces, freshman Camryn Bihary leads four players with ten or more with a team-best 19. Additionally, Bihary is the team-leader in digs with 256 at 4.49 per set.
 
The Warriors are in the midst of an impressive stretch as the team is currently 12-1 on the season and enters the matchup having won their last seven matches, five of which are Southern Athletic Association victories.
 
In 50 sets, Hendrix is attacking at a clip of .212 and registering 12.7 kills per set behind 11.9 assists per set. The team has recorded just one less service ace than the Muleriders this season. Defensively, the Warriors log an average of 16.8 digs per set and have totaled 87.5 blocks this fall.
 
Lauren Dwyer is the leading attacker as she averages 3.14 kills per set behind a .206 hit clip. Additionally, Dwyer owns a team-best 189.0 points this season. Allison Long's .356 attack percentage leads the team.
 
The Warriors employ a two-setter system with Claire Smith and Amber Melcher combining for 503 of the team's 593 assists through 13 matches.
 
Three players have recorded 100 or more digs led by Jeanette McGrath's 224 digs at 4.57 digs per set. Dwyer follows with 150 digs and is third on the team with 23.0 total blocks. Long holds a team-leading 43.0 total blocks this season and Mallory Carty follows with 34.0.