MAGNOLIA, Ark. - Head Coach Alli O'Banion has accomplished the feat that has yet to be done since her own time in the Muleriders uniform. Her and her squad have improved their record to 10-9 (4-3 GAC) on the season, which marks the first time since 2015 that Mulerider Volleyball has surpassed the double-digit mark in the win column.
To earn said feat, Southern Arkansas had to overcome its opponents from East Central University inside the W.T. Watson Center on Friday, October 6. The Muleriders defeated the Tigers from Ada, Oklahoma in dramatic fashion with a five-set victory in front of their home crowd.
The match had no clear victor no matter how well the conference foes played within the first four sets. Neither team had the obvious advantage as both squads seemed to trade blows in the first four sets.
STAT LEADERS
The junior from the Sunflower State, Kayte Delong broke her previous personal record of 14 kills, earned just last Thursday against Ouachita Baptist, with a 21 kill performance against the East Central Tigers. Delong nearly crossed her previous hitting percentage PR (.481) after she recorded an attack percentage of .452. The Kansas native has also recorded the Muleriders only 20+ kill game of the season Delong shared the offensive might with Isla Olivas as she tallied 12 kills (season-high) with a .440 hitting percentage. Counting just three shy of a season-high (39) in assists was the senior Morgan Schuster orchestrating the offense with 36 assists on the night while she also recorded her sixth double-double with ten digs. Schuster also tallied two service aces along with Olivas' one.
Delong was not satisfied with just leading the offense, but she looked to dominate on defense as well with two solo blocks and two assisted blocks. Lauryn Moultrie recorded four assisted blocks, Olivas tallied three assisted blocks, and Jada Hudson assisted with two blocks. Alessia Sonzini, native of Bellinzago Novarese, Italy, recorded a season and career-high as a Mulerider with 35 digs that were pivotal in defending against the second-ranked attacker in the Great American Conference, Emma Strickland (ECU).
SET ONE
Right out of the gate, Southern Arkansas obtained control of the first set with a 4-0 run that converted into a 10-2 lead quickly. East Central would close the gap with an 8-1 run that moved the score to an 11-10 set one in favor of SAU. Following the brief retaliation from the Tigers, the Mulerider would advance their lead to as much as 24-17 with an eventual Olivas kill to take the opening set 25-19.
SET TWO
The following set saw a much different game from both squads as East Central seemingly controlled the court in set two almost immediately. The Tigers jumped out to an early 1-10 lead over SAU and would not look back as they cruised to a 16-25 victory in the second.
SET THREE
Back-and-forth is exactly what this match was made of. Southern Arkansas opened the third with an early 8-1 advantage that would advance to a 20-13 lead over ECU. The Tigers were not out of it yet however as they dissolved the deficit with a 4-11 run to tie the set at 24. Olivas and Schuster shared a block to create the 25-24 lead that would then lead to freshman Brinklee Dauenhauer to record a kill for the 26-24 set three win.
SET FOUR
Just like the third set, the fourth was a battle to the end. Each squad countered an impressive run with one their own that resulted in five lead changes. Southern Arkansas tied the set at 20, but was then followed up by three consecutive points from East Central that aided the Tigers in winning set four 22-25.
SET FIVE
The Muleriders saw just their second five-set match of 2023 since defeating West Georgia on September 15. SAU started the final set with a three-point advantage, but was briefly closed down by a 2-4 run from ECU to make the fifth 5-4 in Southern Arkansas' favor. Despite the Tigers' efforts, the Muleriders would not surrender the advantage again. Delong kicked off a 4-0 run from the 11-10 mark with her 20th kill and would cap off the night with her 21st to earn the Muleriders 10th win of the campaign.
NEXT UP
With the victory at home, Southern Arkansas is now tied for fifth in the conference with Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Muleriders leave the Natural State for the plains of Oklahoma as they prep themselves for the trip to Shawnee where they will compete against the Oklahoma Baptist Bison (10-7 | 4-2 GAC) on Thursday, October 12. On Friday (Oct. 13), SAU will travel to Bethany, Oklahoma where they will be set to face-off against Southern Nazarene (11-6 | 3-3 GAC). The Muleriders will be back inside the chaotic W.T. Watson Center on October 19 to face Northwestern Oklahoma State. For more information on these and other events, check out www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
