MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The first serve of many is finally here as Mulerider Volleyball is prepared for the start of the 2024 season beginning in Wichita Falls, Texas where Southern Arkansas is competing in the Midwestern State Invitational. The Muleriders stint at the invitational will cover Friday (Sep. 6) and Saturday (Sep. 7) as Coach Alli Harrell (O'Banion) will lead her team into battle against Drury (9:00 AM | Sep. 6), Midwestern State (1:00 PM | Sep. 6), Western New Mexico (9:00 AM | Sep. 7), and Adams State (1:00 PM | Sep. 7) to begin her third campaign as the Muleriders head coach.
 
Key Returners for the Muleriders
As it has been stated many times, Coach Harrell goes into the year three with quite the different looking roster from years previous. Southern Arkansas went from having one senior, Morgan Schuster (program leader in assists; 3,409) to ten.
 
Harrell's seniors consist of Jada Hudson (Grand View, Texas), Landry Rogers (Salado, Texas), Lauryn Moultrie (Fairburn, Georgia), Mary Insalaco (North Little Rock, Arkansas), Ava Tanner (Brock, Texas), Isla Olivas (Fort Worth, Texas), Macie Shaver (Prosper, Texas), Kayte Delong (Overland Park, Kansas), Carlin Whaley (Magnolia, Arkansas), and Alexa Heard (Little Rock, Arkansas).
 
Of those returning, SAU brings back its' top scorer in Delong (289.0 points | 256 kills), top blocker in Moultrie (100.0 total blocks | 4^th GAC), the second-best in assists in Shaver (407 assists), and the top-five attack percentage earners all make their way back to the court (Delong, Olivas, Moultrie, Hudson, and Rogers).
 
Last Season
In year two of the O'Banion (now Harrell) era, the Muleriders had made it to the Great American Conference Championship Tournament in Hot Springs, Arkansas for the first time since 2015. The year 2015 holds many more moments like this for Southern Arkansas, such as the first above .500 record overall and in conference since the year.
 
SAU concluded its' 2023 season at the GAC Championship Tournament as the Muleriders fell to in-state rival Henderson State. Southern Arkansas had split the regular season with the Reddies as HSU caught the victory in Arkadelphia earlier in the league season, but SAU had made the bounce back once Henderson State traveled to Magnolia.
 
Along with making the GAC Tournament last November, Mulerider Volleyball accounted for a trio of All-GAC honors including Delong making all-league second team, Moultrie being named all-conference honorable mention, and the program's all-time assist leader Morgan Schuster being listed as an honorable mention.
 
Drury | Sep. 6 at 9:00 AM | 2023: 6-22 (3-10 GLVC)
In 2023, the Panthers managed to obtain six wins overall as well as three in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. DU faced a few Great American Conference opponents last fall in Northwestern Oklahoma State (W, 3-1), Southeastern Oklahoma State (L, 2-3), and Southern Nazarene (L, 2-3). The Panthers were ranked 12^th amongst the 14 squads in the GLVC's Preseason Coaches Poll.
 
Last fall, DU had no shortage of an attack game as the troupe was ranked fifth in the league for attacks (4,339) and fourth for attacks per set (38.06/set | 23^rd nationally). The Panthers showed improvement to recover well against their opposition's attacks as they ranked fifth in the conference for team digs with 1,912. The group's blocking ability sat amongst the top-half of the GLVC as well with the squad being ranked sixth (219.0 total blocks).
 
Drury will see the return of their top setter last fall in Lauren Tyler as the Rogersville, Missouri native enters year two as a Panther and averaged 8.07 assists per set in 2023 (920 | 7^th GLVC). Returning as the lone senior for the 2024 Panthers will be 6' 3" middle Kaylie Duncan. Duncan led Drury in blocks and blocks per set as well as hitting percentage. The senior from Wichita, Kansas accounted for 88 total blocks last fall (13^th GLVC) and produced 0.83 per set (12^th GLVC). Duncan's hitting percentage of 0.257 ranked 19^th among the GLVC in 2023.
 
Midwestern State | Sep. 6 at 1:00 PM | 2023: 4-24 (1-15 LSC)
The Mustangs look to return many players from the year previous as they seek improvement from their four-win season a year ago. MSU was tabbed the 16^th out of 17 groups in the Lone Star Conference. The conference selected Midwestern State middle hitter Isabella Dickens as the team's Lone Star Conference Offensive Player to Watch.
 
The Mustangs did not rank inside the top-five of many categories in the LSC, but those that they did, they excelled in. The reception defense for Midwestern State ranked second amongst the LSC and 17^th in nation for their digs per set from last fall with 17.79 per set and total of 1,726 (10^th LSC). Midwestern State ranked eighth for their team attacks per set with 37.18 and 3,606 total attacks.
 
MSU returns a solid number of Mustangs to be ranked inside the top-300 of the national statistical rankings. Alayna Guerrero makes her return to the court for Midwestern State as the lead setter. As a freshman last year, Guerrero recorded 6.33 assists per set and totaled 557 which ranked 16^th in the league. The Mustangs are bringing back their lead attacker in Riley Rabedeaux. The senior was the team leader for attacks and attacks per set last fall as she totaled 872 (12^th LSC) and averaged 8.99 per set (9^th LSC). The Mustangs' LSC Offensive Player to Watch is Isabella Dickens who recorded 206.0 total points with 180 kills last fall.
 
Western New Mexico | Sep. 7 at 9:00 AM | 2023: 6-23 (2-14 LSC)
This next group of Mustangs saw a slightly better overall season than their counterparts from Wichita Falls as Western New Mexico concluded the 2023 season with six wins overall and just one more in the Lone Star Conference than Midwestern State.
 
As a team, the Mustangs ranked inside the top-15 of the LSC for two statistical categories that includes their hitting percentage of 0.142 (14^th LSC) and their team attacks per set of 35.15 (14^th LSC). According to the LSC's 2024 Preseason Coaches Poll, WNMU comes in at 15^th just ahead of Midwestern State.
 
The Mustangs top player, Jazmyne Walker, returns as the group's Offensive Player to Watch from the LSC as Walker led her team in attacks, kills, and points in 2023. The graduate student ranked sixth in the league for total attacks (1,023), seventh for attacks per set (10.23), eighth for kills per set (3.37), ninth for total kills (337), and tenth for points per set (3.59).
 
Adams State | Sep. 7 at 1:00 PM | 2023: 8-18 (4-10 RMAC)
The Grizzlies bring back 10 players from 2023 along with a new head coach, Garcia Ramser. Adams State is coming off an 8-18 season in which half their wins came from conference opponents in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC).
 
In the 2024 RMAC Preseason Poll, the Grizzlies were voted in at 12^th amongst the leagues 15 squads. Three All-RMAC honorable mentions return to court as well in Anna Huggins, Natalie Gallegos, and Cindy Garcia. Unfortunately for ASU, Gallegos will not be able to play this season as she is out with a knee injury.
 
Last fall, the Grizzlies ranked inside many of the top-ten of the RMAC's statistical rankings such as blocks per set (2.15 | 3^rd RMAC), team blocks (200.0 | 4^th RMAC), attacks per set (34.84 | 8^th RMAC), and opposing hitting percentage (0.226 | 10^th RMAC).
 
In 2023, Gallegos led the group in hitting percentage (0.295) and blocks per set (0.79). While Gallegos won't be on the court, the Grizzlies top point and kill earners will be. Garcia and Huggins led the team in both points and kills per set as Garcia averaged 3.04 kills/set and 3.49 points/set. Huggins positioned just behind Garcia with 2.74 kills/set and 3.22 points/set.