TEXARKANA, Texas — Mulerider Volleyball (12-17 | 5-9 GAC) ventured to town of two states in Texarkana, Texas for their final non-conference match of the regular season. Southern Arkansas' final non-con outing of the campaign came against Texas A&M-Texarkana (23-6 | 9-1 RRAC) inside the Patterson Student Center located on the campus of TAMU-Texarkana. 

The two programs met for the first time, as TAMUT had not housed a volleyball program until 2022, and since then have won two Red River Athletic Conference titles with an 84-39 overall record. 

Leading the way for the Muleriders in scoring once more was junior Brinklee Dauenhauer with her 17 kills, seven errors, and 54 attacks. The Springtown, Texas native also accounted for her ninth double-double of the season with 22 digs. 

Having another incredible outing was freshman Nasiya Graham with her 10 kills, three errors, 17 attacks. With those statistics, the Mesquite, Texas native accounted for the best attack percentage among both teams with a hitting percentage of .412. 

First Set (L, 27-25)

This match saw about as close as an outcome as there is, and it all began in the opening set, as the two groups hung with each other until the Eagles gained an 8-4 advantage with a 4-0 run after a tied match of 4-4. TAMUT went on to stretch its lead to as much as five points at 11-6 before the Muleriders started the comeback and eventually brought it back within one point at 19-18. The Eagles countered the Blue and Gold resurgence with a 4-1 burst to go back up four at 23-19. SAU wasn't finished yet though as the Muleriders ended up tying the set again at 24-24 to force extra points. However, TAMUT went on to outlast the Muleriders with 27-25 set final. 

Second Set (W, 25-22)

The Muleriders started the second set much different than the previous, as Southern Arkansas jumped o a 6-3 leads early, and held on to that three-point lead til stretching it to four at 15-11. After an Eagles' timeout, TAMUT began to climb back into the set, bringing the score back to one points, but never tied to over took the Muleriders, as Southern Arkansas held on for the remainder of the set in a back-and-forth battle to a 25-22 set two win. 

Third Set (L, 25-23)

The Blue and Gold started up on the Eagles in the third, but that lasted for only so long as TAMUT jumped on the Muleriders with a five-point lead after going on a 9-2 stretch. The Eagles built their lead up to as much as seven points with a 16-9 advantage. SAU got themselves back in the set, as the Muleriders eventually tied the set with a 10-3 run to tie the match at 19-19. SAU even regained the advantage after going up 21-20 and 22-21 due to a pair of TAMUT errors. After going on a 4-1 stretch, the Eagles won set three with a 25-23 final. 

Fourth Set (W, 25-23)

After going down 2-1 in the match, the Muleriders looked to get out of the corner they've been backed into with a strong fourth set. The group started out doing just that, as SAU started set four with a 10-6 lead. SAU even went on to expand its lead to a 17-10 advantage. Texarkana did not go away though, as the Eagles tightened the deficit to three points, but the comeback was not enough to overtake the Muleriders, as the Blue and Gold went on to win the fourth set 25-23. 

Fifth Set (W, 15-12)

Now in their second-straight five set match, Southern Arkansas looked to make up for their Thursday night fifth set in Russellville with this opportunity presented. The group was met with resistance by the determined Eagles group, as the group started the set up 5-3. The Muleriders tied the set back up at at 7-7, but would not be ones the force the court flip with TAMUT scoring the eighth point, 8-7. The Blue and Gold hung right with the Eagles, and even overtook the lead with a 4-2 stretch to jump out in front 11-10. The Muleriders went on to stretch their lead to a 13-10 advantage and would not be usurped by the Eagles tenacity with the Muleriders clinching the fifth set 15-12 and winning their second match this week. 

Up Next:

Southern Arkansas looks to close out the regular season strong with their final road match at Searcy, Arkansas on Tuesday (Nov. 11) against Harding at 6:00 PM. The Muleriders will then celebrate their seniors, Sadie Kabisch and Samantha Ward, on Thursday (Nov. 13) as the group will face Arkansas-Monticello at 6:00 PM inside the W.T. Watson Center. 

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