MAGNOLIA, Ark. — With the regular season nearing its end, teams look to state their case for the postseason. Southern Arkansas looked to start its statement with a statement victory over the Henderson State Reddies (14-13 | 6-7 GAC) inside the W.T. Watson Center on Tuesday night. 

The Blue and Gold (11-16 | 5-8 GAC) have now tied for seventh within the Great American Conference after defeating the Reddies 3-1, as well as having Southeastern Oklahoma State taking down East Central. The Muleriders now tie for seventh in the league, but with SAU's win against ECU the group would claim the seventh seed in the GAC Tournament if the season were to end today. 

The Muleriders were led in a big way by junior Brinklee Dauenhauer, as the Springtown, Texas native went on to record a 25-kill match with only six errors on 52 attacks. With those stats, the Mulerider recorded a hitting percentage of .365, a team best. Not only did the junior accounted for an outstanding offensive performance, but she also had an incredible defensive outing with 15 digs and tallying her eighth double-double of the season. 

Another Mulerider with a double-double was junior Kendall Toliver. The native of Wichita Falls, Texas accounted for her fifth double-double this year after recording 10 kills with 11 digs. 

Leading the game in digs was the nation's leader for digs per set, Sadie Kabisch. The senior from Henrietta, Texas accounted for a 39-dig night, her third-highest this season. 

First Set (W, 25-20)

The Muleriders set the tone early, as the group racked up a 6-1 start over the Reddies before Henderson State marched its way back into the set, bringing the score to a single-point game at 8-7. That ended up being the closest HSU could get themselves to the Muleriders, as the Blue and Gold held the advantage over the Reddies for the entire set. Even after a few fireworks to cap off the opener with Henderson State rattling off a 3-0 run to bring the set back within one at 24-23 before Dauenhauer finished off set one. 

Second Set (W, 25-21)

The following set began with neither unit being able to find a true advantage over the other besides a two-point lead for the Reddies (6-4). After that, Southern Arkansas went on a little run, outscoring HSU 5-1 and gaining a two-point lead of its own (9-7). After three straight points by the Reddies, the groups went back and forth up until Henderson State ripped off a 5-0 stretch to seemingly gain all of the momentum in the set. SAU did let the Reddies' lead sit comfortably for long though with the squad then outscoring HSU 11-3 to win the set. 

Third Set (L, 20-25)

Set three began and ran in a similar function to the previous outing, as both groups hung with the other until the Reddies began to pull away from the MuleridersWith a 5-0 stretch (8-5). This time however, Southern Arkansas did not manage to claw its way back into the set, with HSU gaining as much as a nine-point lead on multiple occasions. Even with a late burst of momentum for the Blue and Gold, the efforts were all for not as the Reddies forced a fourth set of action. 

Fourth Set (W, 25-20)

Southern Arkansas, looking to not allow Henderson State to tie the match, started off the fourth set strong with a 3-0 opening after a Dauenhauer service ace, Addy Vollmer kill, and a Toliver kill. The Reddies actually got themselves the lead before either one of the foes cracked the double digits, as HSU went up 9-8. That would be the last lead Henderson State would experience for the evening, as the Muleriders heated up and never cooled back down with a 7-1 stretch to earn a five-point advantage in the set. Even after three points towards the Reddies, the Blue and Gold countered with three more points, and even stretched their lead to as much as six points multiple times. The Muleriders would not let Henderson State claw its way back into the set, as head coach Alli Harrell defeated the Reddies while in Magnolia for the fourth-straight season. 

Up Next:

The Muleriders now look towards Tucker Coliseum in Russellville, Arkansas for a Thursday night matchup with the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns at 6:00 PM. 

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