MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Weekend No. 2 of the 2023 NCAA DII Volleyball season sends Southern Arkansas out west to Lubbock for a four-match stay at the Chap Classic hosted by Lubbock Christian University. Second-year head coach Alli O'Banion's squad is set for action on Friday and Saturday. The Muleriders will compete against a trio of teams, Oklahoma Christian, Lubbock Christian and Minot State, that they have not previously matched up with before. Matches will be contested at 9:00 AM and 1:30 PM on both days. Live coverage will be provided at www.MuleriderAthletics.com.
The Muleriders picked up a pair of wins at the Missouri Southern Invitational after recording a 3-1 victory over the Aggies of Cameron University and a sweep against the Jets from Newman University. Highlighting the couple of wins were junior transfers Jada Hudson and Mary Insalaco as Hudson recorded 26.5 total points, 22 kills (1.83 k/s) and 7 total blocks. Insalaco earned the honor by having a stat line of 66 digs (4.71 d/s) 22 assists, and three service aces.
O'Banion's squad recorded a total of 147 kills as a team, led by junior outside hitter Kayte Delong's 23 kills. Junior Lauryn Moultrie and freshmen Brinkley Dauenhauer aided the offensive power with Moultrie's 21 kills and Dauenhauer's 18. Delong also tied with Hudson for the leading 26.5 total points out of the team's 200.
Leading the group's 140 assists was senior setter Morgan Schuster with 65 averaging 4.64 per set. Schuster currently has 2,869 career assists. She also led the Muleriders in service aces with nine total after a stretch of four service aces to go up 14-7 in the first set against Cameron (Sept. 1).
Dauenhauer recorded the second most digs for SAU with a total of 46. Leading the Muleriders in total blocks was Moultrie with 14 (four solo | ten assisted) and with her was junior middle hitter Isla Olivas with eight total (one solo | seven assisted).
Oklahoma Christian (2-2)
Wins over Westminster College (3-2) and Purdue Northwest (3-1)
*It will be the first meeting between the two programs. Southern Arkansas will bookend its weekend with the Eagles opening play on Friday at 9 a.m. and closing out action against OC on Saturday at 1 p.m.
*OC is hitting .164 as a team with five players having logged 20+ kills this season.
*Giorgia Turri leads with 52 kills at 3.25 kills per set.
*Camryn McGough leads with a .354 attack clip among players with at least 20 kills.
*Lauren McClure (85 asts) and Rainey Aven (66 asts) orchestrate the offensive attack.
*Brylie Berryman paces the back row with 50 digs and Turri follows with 44.
*Megan Rek has recorded a team-leading 18.0 total blocks and McGough follows with 14.0.
*OC has totaled 30 service aces and 32.0 total blocks.
Lubbock Christian (4-0)
Wins over Black Hills State (3-1), UMary (3-0), Minot State (3-0) and Montana State-Billings (3-2)
*The Chaps have dropped just three sets in the early stages of the season. Friday afternoon's 1:30 p.m. matchup will be the first between the two programs.
*LCU is hitting .211 on the season and averaging 14.3 kills per set.
*Kiana Fallaha's 62 kills at 4.13 kills per set pace the squad. Three others have registered over 30 kills.
*Kayton Genenbacher is responsible for 168 of the team's 189 assists and she leads with 10 aces. Her 49 digs trail only Chloe Menard's 76.
*Kalli Dalland (16.0) and Lily Bickley (11.0) are the lone Chaps with 10 or more total blocks.
*The Chaps have totaled 24.0 blocks and as many aces through 15 sets.
Minot State (0-4)
*Losses to Southeastern Oklahoma (3-1), Montana State-Billings (3-2), Black Hills State (3-1) and Lubbock Christian (3-0)
*SAU meets the Beavers on Saturday morning at 9 a.m. It will be the programs' first ever meeting.
*MSU is looking for its first win of the season after suffering a handful of tough losses at the Yellowjacket Volleyball Invite in Billings, Montana. The Beavers claimed four sets on the weekend including one against SAU's GAC foe Southeastern Oklahoma.
*The Beavers are hitting .078 on the season.
*Maggie Machado (37 kills) and Bailee Brommenschenkel (31) lead in kills.
*Jaina Macaulay paces the team with 67 of its 138 helpers. Milena Cernjanski has chipped in with 50.
*Kendal Braun leads with 13 aces and 72 digs, while Brommenschenkel leads with 13.0 total blocks.
*MSU has delivered 27 aces and 25.0 total blocks.
