MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Volleyball enters the final stretch of the regular season, as the Blue and Gold are set to get back on the road for their lone match this week. The Muleriders prepare to travel to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, for the second time this season, as the group will face the Ouachita Baptist Tigers (21-3 | 11-0 GAC) in the Sturgis Physical Education Center on Thursday at 6:00 PM.
 
A Look at SAU
Southern Arkansas comes off a 2-1 week, after the Muleriders traveled to Shreveport, Louisiana, for a non-conference outing with Centenary (La.), in which the Blue and Gold won the meeting 3-0. SAU went on to win their second outing of the week, as the unit traveled back to Magnolia and swept the Northwestern Oklahoma State Rangers last Thursday. For the squad's final bout of the week, Southern Arkansas took on the Bulldogs of Southwestern Oklahoma State but fell 3-0 to the unit.
 
Still leading the way for the Muleriders in scoring is junior Brinklee Dauenhauer. The native of Springtown, Texas, is responsible for the fourth most kills in the Great American Conference (GAC) with her 250 kills. The Texan is also accountable for the 13^th-highest kills per set average with 2.81.
 
Still in the top three of the GAC for digs is Sadie Kabisch. The senior from Henrietta, Texas, leads the Muleriders in digs with her 513. Her stat value is also the second-most in the league, and the third-most for the NCAA DII.
 
Overall, for the Muleriders, the group still ranks highly in multiple statistical categories such as team assists (1^st GAC | 5^th DII | 1,106), team kills (1^st GAC | 6^th DII | 1,180), team total attacks (1^st GAC | 3^rd DII | 3,587), team attacks per set (2^nd | 23^rd DII | 38.57), and team digs (3^rd GAC | 5^th DII | 1,647).
 
SAU vs. OUA | Oct. 30 | 6:00 PM
78th Meeting, SAU leads 42-35
First Meeting: 9/30/1977 - 3-2 OUA win (Arkadelphia, Ark.)
Last Meeting: 9/16/2025 - 3-1 OUA win (Magnolia, Ark.)
Streak: W1 OUA
 
The last time out between the Muleriders and the Tigers, Ouachita Baptist got its get back against the Blue and Gold after previously being swept by the Muleriders last season. The two met in mid-September, in which the Tigers prevailed over the Blue and Gold inside the W.T. Watson Center with a 3-1 final.
 
The Tigers are currently on an 11-game winning streak, with their last loss against then ninth-ranked Washburn (3-2, Sep. 20). The Ichabods are now the second-ranked team in the country with a 20-1 overall record. Ouachita Baptist looks to keep its hot streak on a roll, as the group has swept four out of the six Oklahoma opponents, only surrendering sets to Southwestern Oklahoma State (3-1) and Oklahoma Baptist (3-2).
 
In the conference, OUA ranks at the top of the league in many categories, such as digs per set (19.76 | 3^rd DII), hitting percentage (.232), opposing hitting percentage (.154), and team attacks per set (39.74 | 10^th DII).
 
The Tigers have seen much production on the offensive side of the net, as the group is led by setter Courtney Hanson for that production. Hanson is coming off of her third-straight week of being voted as the GAC's Setter of the Week, and rightfully so. The senior from Arlington, Texas, is currently leading the league in both total assists and assists per set. Hanson is responsible for 809 assists, which ranks 21^st in DII. Per set, she is averaging 9.63 assists and ranks 36^th in the nation. Not only does Hanson manage the OUA offense, but she also scores points for the Tigers off of her serves. The senior ranks in the top two in the league for total service aces and service aces per set. For total service aces, she has accounted for 43 aces and ranks first in the GAC and 16^th nationally for the category. Per set, Hanson has the second-highest average in the league with 0.51 service aces per set, ranking 34^th in DII.
 
Another notable name for the Tigers' offense is Kailey Thedford. The junior from Pearland, Texas, is in the top three of the conference for both total kills and total attacks, as the Texan ranks second in the league for total attacks (843) and third for total kills (254).
 
Defensively, the Tigers have initially looked towards junior Kylie Kisgen to save points for Ouachita this season after the Freeburg, Illinois native has recorded the third-most digs in the league with her 489 digs (4^th DII). Kisgen also leads the conference in digs per set, averaging 5.82 (3^rd DII).
 
Broadcast Information
The Muleriders' match with the Tigers in Arkadelphia will be broadcast on the Ouachita Sports Digital Network. The outing will also be covered via live stats. Both links for those coverages are provided above.
 
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