MAGNOLIA, Ark. – If you were inside the W.T. Watson Center on Halloween night, you definitely received a treat and no trick as the Muleriders went to five sets with the Ouachita Baptist Tigers and claimed victory to sweep OUA on the season for the first time since 2010.
Southern Arkansas claimed sets one and two with little resistance from the Tigers as set one was all Muleriders with a set win of 25-15. The second set saw just a bit of fight from Ouachita as they created a much closer set and fell by just three points to the Blue and Gold 25-22. Set three and four was when OUA had found its stride as the group did not allow the Muleriders to surpass 20 points in either and had everything going their way. The Tigers won those two sets 25-17 and 25-19. The final set was an absolute dog fight… a battle… a thriller. Southern Arkansas was desperate for a fifth set win after having gone up 2-0, and from the get-go the Muleriders took every opportunity they could find. The Blue and Gold looked as if they were going to win the set easy with a quick 11-6 lead, but the Tigers brought it back within one at 14-13 (SAU up). All of the Watson's attendees were sitting on the edge of their seats and quickly on their feet as the senior from Fairburn, Georgia recorded the final kill for the nail in the coffin.
The win breaks a seven-game losing streak for the Muleriders and gives them the boost they needed heading back on the road to Arkadelphia, Arkansas where they will face the Henderson State Reddies on Monday at 6:30 PM.
The Muleriders offense was electric as Magnolia native
Carlin Whaley led the team in scoring with 14 kills and 17.0 points with six block assists. The senior was one of three players to lead the team with .333 attack percentage. Three other Muleriders accounted for 10+ kills that included
Kayte Delong with 13 (15.0 pts | 1 block solo | 2 block assists),
Lauryn Moultrie with 11 kills (13.5 pts | 1 block solo | 3 block assists), and
Isla Olivas with 10 kills (17.0 pts | 2 block solos | 6 block assists).
Macie Shaver and
Ava Tanner combined for 54 assists for as Shaver recorded 30 and Tanner 24.
Sadie Kabisch was once again all over the floor and rarely ever let the ball get by her as she tallied 35 digs for her second-most in a game this season. Her most in a game this season… September 17 on the road against Ouachita Baptist.
The Muleriders now move on to 10-10 and record back-to-back 10+ win seasons for the first time since the 2014-15 seasons.
