MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The Mulerider Volleyball Invitational has officially begun, and so has the 2026 campaign, with the Blue and Gold starting Head Coach
Alli Harrell's fifth season at the helm against 12
th-ranked foe Central Oklahoma in front of a raucous W.T. Watson Center.
Despite giving plenty of fight, Southern Arkansas ended up coming shy of the Bronchos to begin the year, as the Muleriders dropped the season opener with a final set score of 3-1 (UCO 25 – SAU 20, UCO 21 – SAU 25, UCO 25 – SAU 16, UCO 25 – SAU 23).
In scoring, Southern Arkansas had the top two kill leaders in the match, as freshman
Peighton Killeen led the game with 17 kills. Just behind her with 15 kills was senior
Brinklee Dauenhauer, who also tied with Killeen for the most points scored on the team with 17.0 after accounting for two service aces.
The digs were spread around for the unit, as four Muleriders recorded double-digit digs. Those four include
Kendall Toliver (17),
Brinklee Dauenhauer (16),
Kate Schofield (12), and
Hayden Pinard (11). Dauenhauer, Schofield, and Pinard all went on to record their first double-doubles of the campaign.
Leading the unit in assists was sophomore setter
Kate Schofield, as the native of Bentonville, Arkansas, tallied 22 assists.
Set One (L, 25-20)
After an early 1-0 lead by the Bronchos, Southern Arkansas immediately took the lead with a 3-0 run, which was followed by both groups producing stretches of three-straight points, SAU up 6-4. After points went back-and-forth, UCO began to find its footing with a few two-point stretches, with the squad eventually taking a 15-13 advantage. SAU did not just stand by, as the unit eventually had momentum back in its favor, tying the set at 18-18 prior to a service error by the Blue and Gold. After that error, the Bronchos tacked on two more kills to go up three, 21-18. From then on, Central Oklahoma had the set handled, going on a 4-2 stretch to cap off the set.
Set Two (W, 25-21)
The following set went much differently than that of the first, as the Blue and Gold started down 5-1 to open up the sequence. After the slow start, the Muleriders went on to rip off a 6-1 run, going up 7-6. The groups continued back and forth until SAU seemed to put the pieces together, going on a 4-0 stretch to take a 14-10 lead. That stretch was short-lived, though, as the Bronchos went back up with a 5-0 run to make it 15-14. Southern Arkansas then retaliated with three more points before UCO tied the bout back up at 18-18. All the Muleriders needed was a small window to help seal the deal, and they got just that with a UCO error and a Killeen kill to go up two (20-18). The group went on to then close the door on the Bronchos, pulling off a late-set comeback with a 5-3 run to close the set.
Set Three (L, 25-16)
The might of the 12
th-ranked team came out in full force for set three, as the Bronchos began the round with a 5-2 lead and would not waste it as before. The unit had a few scares from the Blue and Gold, but would not give in to them, with the Bronchos extending their lead to as much as nine in the set, winning the third 25-16.
Set Four (L, 25-23)
Southern Arkansas had an NPH-type fourth set, as the group could have backed down, but did not. Rather, the Muleriders fed off of the intensity of the wild W.T. Watson Center audience and put the Bronchos on the ropes. About halfway through the set, SAU worked its way to a lead at 14-13 following a 4-0 run. UCO did not give in; however, they fought right back. Late into the round, the Muleriders kept battling, even taking a 23-22 advantage. That advantage did not last long, though, as the Bronchos went on to score three-straight points off of two attack errors and a kill.
Up Next:
The Mulerider Volleyball Invitational marathon continues tomorrow, as Coach Harrell and her group will play two matches with outings against LeMoyne-Owen (10:00 AM) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (6:30 PM).
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