MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The 2025 season has arrived for Mulerider Volleyball and fourth-year Head Coach Alli Harrell. The former Mulerider Volleyball player and her latest crew look to turn heads early as the Blue and Gold set their sights on their first four outings of the new year at the 2025 Gorilla Classic hosted by Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kansas.
Southern Arkansas will begin the new campaign with a 9:00 AM match against the Truman State Bulldogs on Friday (Sept. 5), who finished 2024 with a 6-22 record overall, and a Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) record of 3-10.
Following the season opener, the Muleriders are then set to face the Griffons of Missouri Western State at 2:00 PM. MWSU capped off last season with a 23-8 overall record and a 12-4 record in the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and capped its season in the NCAA DII Tournament, falling to ninth-ranked Concordia-St. Paul 3-1.
Moving on to Saturday (Sept. 6), SAU will open the day up with a 9:00 AM match with Lubbock Christian. The Lone Star Conference (LSC) affiliates finished the 2024 season 13-14 overall with a 9-7 record in the league. The Chaps '24 campaign wrapped up after dropping to fifth-ranked West Texas A&M 3-0 in the LSC Championship Tournament.
For the Muleriders' final bout of opening weekend, SAU will match up with the invitational host, the Pittsburg State Gorillas, for a 2:00 PM first serve. Pitt State finished the 2024 season with a 10-16 overall record while posting a 5-11 record in the MIAA.
A Look at SAU
The Muleriders finished last season with an even record at 12-12, and a 6-10 record in the Great American Conference (GAC). Southern Arkansas narrowly missed its chance at making the GAC Championship Tournament for the second year in a row as the group finished ninth in the final GAC standings due to league tie-breakers.
Key returners for SAU consist of the team's captains in senior defensive specialist Sadie Kabisch and junior outside hitter Brinklee Dauenhauer. Kabisch makes her return for her second year in the Blue and Gold as a 2024 All-GAC Honorable Mention after leading the league in digs per set with 6.42 (2nd DII) while also being sixth in the GAC for total digs with 533. At the end of last season, Dauenhauer finished with the third-
most service aces for the Muleriders as the Springtown, Texas native accounted for 20 aces.
The Muleriders see new faces all around, with the group returning just six players, with two of those playing in all 24 matches (Kabisch & Dauenhauer). At the conclusion of last season, SAU saw ten seniors cap off their Mulerider Volleyball careers and now will see 12 newcomers make their debuts as Muleriders. Of those 12, six come in as freshmen and six as transfers.
Broadcast Information The game will be broadcast live on The MIAA Network. Click here for the Pittsburg State team site to watch all the action. The Muleriders will be back inside the W.T. Watson Athletic Center next week to take on Central Baptist College on Tuesday, September 9th at 6:00 PM. Follow the Muleriders For all the latest information on Mulerider Athletics, visit muleriderathletics.com. To stay up-to-date, follow the Muleriders on X, Instagram , and Facebook.
