HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced its superlative awards and all-conference teams on Wednesday evening at the pre-tournament banquet on the eve of postseason action in the Spa City. Among the student-athletes that were honored for their athletic performance during the 2023 campaign were a trio of Mulerider Volleyball players in juniors Kayte Delong and Lauryn Moultrie along with senior Morgan Schuster. Delong and Moultrie each accounted for their first All-GAC accolade, while Schuster earned her fourth all-league plaudit and her third consecutive All-GAC honorable mention to surpass her coach Alli O'Banion in becoming the sole Mulerider to be named among the all-conference honors for four years. Along with this, Southern Arkansas accounted for five players that made the GAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete list (Schuster, Delong, Ava Tanner, Carlin Whaley, and Landry Rogers).
 
Alli O'Banion
 
While Schuster overcame her coach's player-record with all-league honors, O'Banion set a new coach-record in the same night as she became the first Southern Arkansas Volleyball head coach to win the Great American Conference Coach of the Year award. In just her second season as the head volleyball coach, Alli O'Banion seemed to have found her key pieces and rhythm for the program's turnaround after recording the first winning season in eight years, first conference tournament berth in eight years, the most all-conference members in eight years, and the most wins in eight years. Those wins did not come without production on a more in-depth level however. Here are a few statistic comparisons from O'Banion's first and second season within the conference:
Aces per set: (2022) – 10^th 1.34 | (2023) – 4^th 1.54
Digs per set: (2022) – 11^th 15.51 | (2023) – 6^th 16.71
Opp. Hitting %: (2022) – 11^th .218 | (2023) – 7^th .200
Attacks per set: (2022) – 11^th 36.42 | 2^nd 37.79
Team Digs: (2022) – 12^th 1,473 | (2023) – 6^th 1,821
Team Kills: (2022) – 11^th 1,074 | (2023) – 8^th 1,333
Team Service Aces: (2022) – 12^th 127 | (2023) – 5^th 168
Team Attacks: (2022) – 12^th 3,460 | (2023) – 5^th 4,119
Team Blocks: (2022) – 10^th 154.0 | (2023) – 8^th 186.0
 
All-GAC Honorees
 
Delong, native of Overland Park, Kansas, earned her first All-GAC accolade as she became the first All-GAC Second Team member for SAU since Schuster recorded the accolade in 2020. The Kansan concluded the '23 season leading the Muleriders in kills with 256 to bring her to a career total of 347 kills. The junior also led Southern Arkansas in attack percentage with .273 and total points with 289.0. All three statistics ended up being career-highs for Delong by a large margin. She did this while only starting in 18 of the 28 matches this season.
 
The outside hitter accounted for 13 matches with 10+ kills including three going for 15+ and a career/team-high 21 kill match in the Muleriders five-set victory over East Central (10/6). In addition, the Sunflower State native recorded 57.0 blocks, which was third for SAU. Delong also claimed her first GAC Offensive Player of the Week during the campaign.
 
Moultrie, native of Fairburn, Georgia, recorded her first all-league honor as she made the list of honorable mentions among the Great American Conference landscape. The Peach State native finished the '23 season with the third most blocks in the league with 100.0. Moultrie is the first Mulerider since Bailey Cagle (2017) to have hit the century mark in total blocks while also being the first 'Rider to have recorded two seasons with 20+ solo blocks and one of two in the GAC era to tally a 20+ solo block campaign. In her Southern Arkansas career, she has now accounted for 159 total blocks (47 solo | 112 assisted).
 
In addition, the junior was responsible for 180 kills (3^rd Team), 260.0 points (2^nd Team), a .237 attack percentage (3^rd Team), and 0.92 blocks per set (1^st team | 5^th GAC). Her performance this season earned her a couple GAC Defensive Players of the Week this fall.
 
Schuster, native of Arlington, Texas, secured her fourth-consecutive all-league honor as she also recorded her third-consecutive All-GAC honorable mention. The Lone Star native earned the recognition after she led her team in assists with 605 (7^th GAC) and 5.55 assists per set (10^th GAC). Along with that, the senior also led her crew in service aces with 37 for sixth in the conference.
 
In total, Schuster finished her career as a Mulerider with 3,409 assists, 909 digs, 435 sets played, 371.0 total points, 198 kills, 137 total blocks, 120 matches played, and 94 service aces. She also notched two GAC Setter of the Week honors under her belt.
 
GAC Distinguished Scholar Athletes
 
Southern Arkansas recorded five players among the 18 to be named a GAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete as the next two closest teams each had two less than SAU. With this being the first trip in eight years that the Muleriders have made it to the conference tournament, it is also the first time for all five athletes to have made this honor.
 

• Delong made her way onto the list for the first time as she is majoring in Psychology with a minor in social work and recording a 3.91 GPA.
• Schuster earns her credit on the list for her skill both on and off the court and is majoring in Biology/Pre-Health with a 3.95 grade point average.
• Landry Rogers makes her way onto the list as she is majoring in Elementary Education: STEM and has accounted for a 3.94 GPA thus far. Rogers this season recorded 179 kills, a .187 hitting percentage (career-high), 21 service aces (career-high), 129 digs, 14 block assists, and 207.0 total points.
• Ava Tanner is a GAC Distinguished Scholar-Athlete like 2022, and rightfully so. Tanner is double-majoring in Business Admin: Financial Analysis and Business Admin: Supply Chain Management while keeping a GPA of 4.00. Tanner this season has tallied 60 kills, 94 digs, 8 block assists, and 71.0 total points.
• Carlin Whaley made her introduction to the membership of the DSA as she is majoring in Mass Communication: Mass Media and maintaining a 3.86 GPA. Whaley this season recorded 129 kills (career-high), a .120 attack percentage (career-high), 42 digs, 29 block assists, and 143.5 total points.

 
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