MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The final day of the Mulerider Volleyball Invitational has come and gone, as Southern Arkansas concludes the home tournament with the finale against the University of Texas at Tyler Patriots. The group from Tyler, Texas had been the most dominant group in the tournament up to the final contest, and the unit continued to be dominant after winning sets two, three, and four against the Blue and Gold.
With the loss, the Muleriders opened up their season at 1-3, but not without hanging with elite competition in the process.
Vs. UTT (L, 1-3 | 29-27, 14-25, 15-25, 20-25)
Southern Arkansas had one double-digit attacker on the day, as sophomore
Nasiya Graham accounted for 10 kills on 26 attacks, with just two errors. That clip brought her attack percentage to .308. Tying Nasiya in total points was
Courtnee Morgan, as they both recorded 11.5 points, with Morgan having eight kills and 4.0 total blocks.
The assists were split nearly evenly, with
Kate Schofield leading the way with 20, followed by
Hayden Pinard with 18. Pinard also tallied multiple service aces, with two.
Kendall Toliver led the unit in digs once more, as the senior accounted for 21. Second for Southern Arkansas in digs was
Brinklee Dauenhauer with 12.
The first set of the match ended in about as exciting a finish as you could have asked for, especially if you were repping the Blue and Gold. Southern Arkansas started the match with a two-point lead, which held up until the Patriots tied the bout at 5-5. Following that tie, SAU ripped off a 4-0 run to go up 9-5 before both squads went back-and-forth for multiple sequences. The Blue and Gold managed to hold on to a three-point for a while during those sequences, but UT-Tyler ended up tying the match and reclaiming some momentum after a 3-0 run started by a service error brought the set to a 20-20 tie. SAU got back up two for some cushion, 23-21, but UTT countered with two of its own, 23-23. After another point for SAU to go up one, the Pats tacked on two more points to go up 25-24 before a service error got the Muleriders out of the bind. The Patriots only managed to get one more point in the set due to an attack error, but SAU tacked on four kills, with the final two coming off the swing of
Allie Cooper, to win the opening set 29-27.
After the opening set, the rest of the match belonged to UT-Tyler, as the Patriots started the second set with a 9-2 advantage and never looked back, extending their lead to as much as 25-14 to clinch the set.
Set three saw a similar look to the second, only later, as the Muleriders were neck-and-neck with UTT until the game was tied at 8-8. Then the Pats went on a 9-1 stretch to go up 17-9. SAU was not able to come back and fell 25-25 in the third set.
Now in desperate need of some life, the Muleriders aimed to seize control in the fourth set, but despite the Blue and Gold's determination later in the set, even bringing the match within one point (19-18), Southern Arkansas' comeback was snuffed out and ended in a 25-20 final set score.
Up Next:
With the conclusion of the Mulerider Volleyball Invitational, Head Coach
Alli Harrell now turns towards being on the road for the next two weeks. Next weekend, the Muleriders will be in the Lone Star State in Denton, Texas, as Southern Arkansas will head to compete in the Denton Volleyball hosted by Texas Women's University on September 4
th and 5
th.
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