RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference announced the league's preseason coaches poll for the upcoming 2023 volleyball season on Thursday, August 3. Southern Arkansas was voted tenth overall ahead of Southeastern Oklahoma State by 16 points and Arkansas-Monticello by 17.
Last fall, the Muleriders placed eleventh in the conference after recording a six-win season with a conference record of 4-12; the best finish since 2015.
Second-year head coach Alli O'Banion led the squad to six wins; the most in a single season since 2018 when the Muleriders finished 8-21. In the three seasons prior to O'Banion's hire, SAU won nine total matches. The Muleriders are seeking their first 10+ win season since 2015 when that year's squad finished 20-14 (9-7 GAC) and competed for the GAC Tournament title.
Southern Arkansas enters the 2023 season with ten members of the 2022 club returning including senior All-GAC setter
Morgan Schuster and junior All-GAC outside hitter
Landry Rogers. Joining the club are nine newcomers that include six transfers and three freshmen.
An Arlington, Texas native, Schuster comes into her fifth season with a program-record 2,804 career assists that she earned against Ouachita Baptist last season (9/15/2022). Last fall, Schuster played in all 27 matches and 95 sets and went on to record 680 assists (6
th in GAC), 193 total attacks, 179 digs, 47 kills, 30.5 total blocks, and 18 aces. The senior just needs 196 more assists to be the only Mulerider with 3,000 assists.
A native of Salado, Texas, Rogers returns for her fourth season as SAU's top attacker with 1,793 career attacks in which 590 were kills. In 2022, Rogers competed in all 27 matches and in 91 sets in which she delivered a career-high 866 attacks (11
th in GAC), 286 kills (14
th in GAC), 197 digs, and 13.5 total blocks. Rogers averaged 9.52 attacks per set (6
th in GAC) and 3.14 kills per set (7
th in GAC).
The Muleriders return four players who competed in 80+ sets last fall in Schuster, Rogers, junior
Lauryn Moultrie (93), and junior
Isla Olivas (84). Southern Arkansas returns four players that delivered 80+ kills in Rogers, Moultrie (146), Olivas (132), and junior
Kayte Delong (81).
O'Banion, accompanied by new assistant coach Sarah Ford, heads into the 2023 season with one senior, 12 juniors, three sophomores, and three freshmen. True freshmen
Brinklee Dauenhauer (Springtown, Texas) and
Alyssa Magness (Frisco, Texas) both travel into Magnolia from the Dallas-Fort Worth area while Ashlynn Riggle makes her arrival from Conway, Arkansas. Transfers
Francesca Giovane (Odessa College),
Jada Hudson (North Central Texas College),
Mary Insalaco (Champion Christian),
Macie Shaver (Butler CC),
Alessia Sonzini (Navarro College), and
Samantha Ward (Coastal Bend College) all join the ride as O'Banion enters year two.
The Muleriders will open up their new campaign with back-to-back tournaments on the road. Southern Arkansas will first head up to Joplin, Missouri to play four matches at the Missouri Southern Tournament on September 1-2. On September 8-9, SAU will travel to Lubbock, Texas for another four matches at the Lubbock Christian Tournament. SAU opens up at home against the reigning GAC champions, Harding, on September 12 at 6:00 PM.
