MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Volleyball is coming off its first trip to the Sooner State, where the group fell to both Southwestern and Northwestern Oklahoma State. Southern Arkansas is looking to get back on the right track this weekend as Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist come to Magnolia, in which the W.T. Watson Center will be decked out in PINK for Mulerider Volleyball's annual PINK OUT WEEKEND.
 
The Blue and Gold are back home for the first time since the beginning of October when the Muleriders swept in-state rival Arkansas-Monticello (25-23, 25-21, 25-15). Since then, while on the road, SAU has dropped three consecutive matches and is seeking the chance to flip the script with the home crowd behind them.
 
Five Muleriders have accounted for 80+ kills that include two 100+ kill earners in Kayte Delong (150) and Jada Hudson (100). Delong currently averages 2.88 kills per set with a .236 attack percentage. Leading the group in blocks and ranking second in the conference for blocks per set is Isla Olivas. The senior from Forth Worth, Texas is currently sitting at 58.0 blocks and averages 1.12 blocks per set, which is just decimal points from the conference leader. The league leader for digs per set resides on Coach Alli Harrell's team as well. Junior Sadie Kabisch leads the GAC with 6.27 digs per set and ranks third in the country in that category.
 
The Muleriders have been quite effective at the net this season as the troupe is second in the conference for blocks per set with 2.25, but also ranks third in the league for attacks per set with 38.08 (33^rd nationally). While Kabisch is one of the GAC's top-dig recorders, SAU as a whole still looks to improve its dig numbers with others on the team.
 
Southern Nazarene (4-15 | 1-6 GAC)
The Crimson Storm has been a difficult opponent for Southern Arkansas in years past as Southern Nazarene holds a 2-9 advantage over the Muleriders since 2012. The Blue and Gold got the last laugh in the 2023 as Harrell's (then O'Banion) traveled to Bethany, Oklahoma where the Mulerider defeated the Storm 3-1 and for the first time since 2012 in Magnolia. The victory marked the first time in the GAC era that SAU defeated SNU in Bethany.
 
Southern Nazarene has had a rough go at it thus far as the Crimson Storm has fallen in seven of their last eight matches (7 GAC | 1 non-conference). So far, the only two league opponents the team has been able to win multiple sets against are Henderson State (W, 3-2) and Ouachita Baptist (2-3). Southern Nazarene most recently was swept on the road against Oklahoma Christian .
 
The Crimson Storm has been the most efficient in their attacking as SNU ranks seventh in the conference for attack percentage (.188) and total attacks (2,251). The sophomore out of Bentonville, Arkansas, Riley Richardson has been her squad's top attacker with a .319 hitting percentage, ranking her third in the conference.
 
Oklahoma Baptist (10-9 | 4-3 GAC)
The reigning Great American Conference regular season and tournament champions were off to a bit of a bumpy start in league play as they began GAC competition 1-3 with losses to Southeastern Oklahoma State (2-3), Southwestern Oklahoma State (2-3), and East Central (1-3). Since then, the Bison have pulled off three straight victories against Northwestern Oklahoma State (3-0), Ouachita Baptist (3-1), and Henderson State (3-1). In the conference, OBU has lost just one game at home, that being their conference-opener this season against SE.
 
Last season, the Muleriders traveled to Shawnee and defeated 0-3 in the two program's eighth meeting. Since becoming a member of the NCAA DII and the GAC, Oklahoma Baptist has not dropped a contest against Southern Arkansas, and has only gone to a fifth set twice.
 
Oklahoma Baptist, while their record does not show it, still sits towards the top of the league standings for their statistical success. The Bison are ranked first in the league for total digs (1,328 | 4^th nationally) and total attacks (2,935 | 2^nd nationally). The group has also seen much progress in categories like digs per set (17.95 | 2^nd GAC | 21^st nationally), attacks per set (39.66 | 2^nd GAC | 13^th nationally), total assists (879 | 3^rd GAC | 9^th nationally), and total kills (959 | 3^rd GAC | 8^th nationally). OBU does not have many singular members who rank near the top of the GAC, but Emily Boyer has been the group's leader in assists as the sophomore out of Choctaw, Oklahoma ranks third in the league and 12^th nationally for her 711 assists.
 
Game Times
Southern Arkansas is set for a bounce back week back at home in front of their own PINKED OUT CROWD as they face Southern Nazarene on Thursday at 6:00 PM and Oklahoma Baptist on Friday at 4:00 PM. All live stats and coverage links can be found on www.MuleriderAthletics.com