MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Mulerider Volleyball (3-7 | 0-1 GAC) is back on the road for the unit's final tournament of the regular season. Southern Arkansas is coming off its conference opener against Ouachita Baptist, in which the Blue and Gold came up short in defeating the reigning Great American Conference Champions, falling 3-1, despite showing plenty of high potential.
 
This weekend, SAU travels to Searcy, Arkansas, but not for conference play. The Muleriders are saddled in for the Harding Tournament, which is put on by Harding University. In the tournament, the Blue and Gold will face Crowleys Ridge College on Friday (Sep. 19) at 12:00 PM, then Arkansas-Fort Smith that same day at 7:30 PM. To cap off the weekend, SAU will face Trevecca Nazarene on Saturday (Sep. 20) at 12:00 PM.
 
A Look at Crowley Ridge (3-9 | 2-0 AMC)
The Pioneers had a slow start to the 2025 season, losing their first seven contests until the group defeated Hesston College (Sep. 6) 3-0 while in Wichita, Kansas. After dropping their next contest to Southwestern College (3-1), CRC recorded back-to-back wins over Williams Baptist (3-0) and Stephens (3-2). Most recently, the group fell to Freed-Hardeman 3-0 for the second time this season.
 
The Pioneers house a pair of 80+ kill recorders, as Brooklyn Cross and Amiyah Saxton have both accounted for 86 kills thus far. In terms of attack percentage, Saxton has had an amazing start to the year with just 14 errors and 189 attacks. The junior is responsible for a .381 attack percentage. Setting up Saxton and Cross, most often, has been Jillian Glasgow, as the setter has currently tallied 190 assists in 12 matches. She is currently averaging 4.04 assists per set and also leads the Pioneers in service aces with 18.
 
A Look at Arkansas-Fort Smith (5-3 | 0-0 MIAA)
The Lions have had a good start to the new season, with UAFS beginning the 2025 campaign 3-1 after concluding competition at the Union Volleyball Classic with a big win against Texas A&M-Kingsville and pushing the Harding Bisons to five sets. The following weekend, Fort Smith added a pair of wins and a pair of losses to the resume after dropping games to Ouachita Baptist (L, 3-1) and Mississippi College (L, 3-2) while also defeating Henderson State 3-1 and Auburn-Montgomery 3-0.
 
Leading the group in kills has been Lydia Pitts, who has recorded 85 kills and is accounting for an attack percentage of .231. Leading the Lions in attack percentage has been Crystal Smith, as the freshman is producing a .350 attack percentage and sits at second on the team for kills with 78. The team's offensive orchestrator has been Scarlette Young, as the sophomore setter is recording 157 assists thus far with an average of 4.91 per set.
 
A Look at Trevecca Nazarene (4-2 | 0-0 GSC)
The Trojans have had a promising start to their new season, having already claimed a ranked win in their 4-2 record. To begin the campaign, TNU swept the Henderson State Reddies and followed that up the next day with a 3-1 victory over then 21^st-ranked Wayne State. To end their opening weekend, the Trojans were defeated by the University of Jamestown 3-0. The following weekend, Trevecca Nazarene traveled to familiar territory in Huntsville, Alabama, for the UAH Invitational. In that tournament, the Trojans fell in their first outing 3-1 against Lincoln-Memorial. TNU quickly turned it around with a 3-0 win over Spring Hill and a 3-2 triumph against Nova Southeastern.
 
Addison Cunnagin leads the team in kills with 82, averaging 3.73 per set. Kaitlyn Grant is the TNU leader in attack percentage, as the junior is recording a .351 percentage and has accounted for 65 kills on 134 attacks. Exceeding the 200+ mark for assists is Skias Hainline with 213 assists. As of now, the setter leads all the opponents for the Muleriders in the tournament.
 
A Look at SAU
Southern Arkansas is coming off its first GAC bout of the season, with the Muleriders falling to Ouachita Baptist 3-1. Southern Arkansas gears up for this final tournament of the regular season before the group is in full swing for conference play.
 
The current leader for the Muleriders in kills is junior captain Brinklee Dauenhauer. The native of Springtown, Texas, has recorded 93 kills up to this point. She is also the team leader for attacks with 315. Just seven kills behind Dauenhauer is junior transfer Claire Johnson. The Colorado native is responsible for 86 kills this season off her 258 attacks. With at least 100 attacks recorded, the Blue and Gold's leader for attack percentage has been Allie Cooper. The Texan is currently recording a .299 percentage with 44 kills on 117 attacks. Nearly cracking 200 assists, just ten games in, is Hayden Pinard. The junior from Oregon is leading the Muleriders with 193 assists and averages 5.68 per set. Pinard is also the team's leader in service aces with 13.
 
Broadcast Information
All games are set to be broadcast on the Harding Sports Network. Live stats will also be provided by Harding Athletics. Those links are provided above. 
 
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