SEARCY, Ark. – Mulerider Volleyball (4-8 | 0-1 GAC) finished play at the Harding Invitational, as the Blue and Gold did so in strong fashion, defeating the Missouri S&T Miners (7-3) 3-0. The sweep marks the unit's second sweep of the weekend, their second sweep against a GLVC program.
Vs. MS&T (W, 3-0)
Two members of the Blue and Gold led the Mulerider offense, as Southern Arkansas was led by
Allie Cooper and
Brinklee Dauenhauer with 13 kills each. In overall scoring, Cooper led the unit with 16.0 points, with a service ace and 3.0 total blocks (1 solo | 2 assists).
Dauenhauer also recorded another double-double, with the senior accounting for 17 digs on top of her kills. Two other Muleriders with double-digit digs were team leader
Kendall Toliver (19) and freshman
Peighton Killeen (10).
Once again,
Hayden Pinard took care of the setting, as the senior orchestrated the offense with 33 assists.
Set One (W, 25-22)
Even though the Muleriders swept the Miners, the match was anything but a blowout, as all three matches went down to the wire. The Blue and Gold gained the first substantial lead of the bout, with SAU going up 8-4 after a 4-0 stretch. MS&T quickly closed the gap, with the unit going on a 5-1 stretch and tying the set at 9-9. Both groups went on a stretch of back-and-forth points until the Muleriders recorded a 3-0 run, going up 16-13, but the stretch was followed by a 4-0 sequence by the Miners, MS&T up 17-16. The set continued going back-and-forth, eventually tying at 21-21 before the Muleriders closed the round with a 4-1 stretch to go up 1-0.
Set Two (W, 25-23)
The following set saw nearly the exact same beginning, as the Muleriders climbed to a 9-7 lead, but it was answered with a 4-0 run by Missouri S&T, for the Miners to go up 11-9. After that, Southern Arkansas countered with a 7-2 stretch and went back up to a three-point advantage at 16-13. The squads went back and forth again, and the Blue and Gold created some separation with a 3-0 stretch after its 19-18 advantage, 22-18. SAU kept its four-point lead, now at 24-20, and despite three-straight points by MS&T, Southern Arkansas'
Allie Cooper sealed the set with a kill and no assist.
Set Three (W, 26-24)
The third set saw a different beginning than the previous two, as the Miners had a strong start with a 9-4 lead. SAU's response was four straight points, closing the deficit to one point, 9-8. The Miners kept their lead, however, as the group went on a 5-2 stretch and went back up four points, 14-10. From then, the Muleriders responded well with a 7-2 stretch to take the advantage at 17-16. Missouri S&T countered with a 5-1 stretch to reclaim its lead, now at 21-18. The Blue and Gold retaliated with a 3-0 run to tie the set back up, and to create the momentum window the Muleriders needed. From then on, the round went back and forth, up to a tie at 24-24. SAU then went on to close the match with a Cooper kill and a service ace by Cooper to sweep the Miners.
Up Next:
The Muleriders' next outing is back inside the W.T. Watson Center for the Mulerider GAC home opener, with the Blue and Gold taking on the Henderson State Reddies for a 6:00 PM start this coming Tuesday (Sep. 15). The game will also be Mulerider Volleyball's annual Kidney Foundation Game.
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