MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Volleyball (5-12 | 1-4 GAC) is set for action inside the Natural State, but not against Great American Conference (GAC) competition. Southern Arkansas will journey to central Arkansas for a match with the Central Baptist College Mustangs (4-13 | 3-3 AMC) on Tuesday, October 7, at 6:00 PM.
A Look at SAU
Southern Arkansas comes off their first win after falling in the five matches prior, as the Muleriders defeated in-state rival Arkansas-Monticello in sweeping fashion for the group's first league win of the season. In that outing, SAU traveled to Drew County and overwhelmed the Cotton Blossoms 25-18, 25-17, 25-18.
A star in that Mulerider win was junior Allie Cooper. The Brownsboro, Texas native recorded a 10 kill night on just 13 attacks with only 2 attack errors. With all of those stats combined, Cooper accounted for a .615 attack percentage and led the match in both kills and hitting percentage. With that performance and her 18-kill evening against Harding, Cooper sits at third for the most kills among the Muleriders. Within the GAC, the East Texas native is third in the league for attack percentage with a .340. She is also ranked 65th nationally.
After missing one match, the Muleriders' lead libero, Sadie Kabisch, still ranks within the top five nationally for both digs per set (4th | 5.78) and total digs (4th | 347). Both of those statistics rank third in the GAC.
The Muleriders remain one of the most aggressive offenses in the league and the country, as Southern Arkansas ranks second in the Great American Conference for total team attacks (2,360), as well as ranking 10th nationally for the feat. For digs, the group is third in the GAC and 11th nationally (1,084).
SAU at CBC | Oct. 7 | 6:00 PM
12th meeting, SAU leads 11-0
First Meeting: 9/16/2008 – 3-0 SAU Win (Magnolia, Ark.)
Last Meeting: 9/9/2025 – 3-0 SAU Win (Magnolia, Ark.)
Streak: W11 SAU
The Mustangs come off a sweeping victory for their fourth win of the campaign after taking down Hannibal-Lagrange last Friday. In the win, CBC won all three sets by finals of 25-19, 25-16, 25-14. This is not the first time the Mustangs have met the Muleriders this season, as the groups faced off inside the W.T. Watson Center in early September. Southern Arkansas took that W with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-7, 25-16) triumph.
Leading the Mustangs in scoring has been freshman outside hitter Avary Smith. The freshman leads CBC in total kills with 125 and averages 2.36 per set. For total scoring, Smith leads with 136.5 points with seven service aces, one solo block, and seven block assists.
Smith also sits in second for the Mustangs for total digs recorded with 135 and averages 2.55 digs per set. The lead for Central Baptist is sophomore defensive specialist Kate Scoggins with 161 and she averages 3.10 digs per set.
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