THE RUNDOWN
 
The Lady Patriots (5-4) defeated Southern Arkansas (3-8) 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-21) in their home opener Friday afternoon inside the Burg Center. Sophomore Brooke Clark had 10 kills while Junior Emma Eakin had eight of her own. Junior Kasey Holand posted six kills and six blocks on the day while Seniors Katie Nicholson and Madeline Dolberry added a pair of blocks. Senior Merci Perry dished out 16 assists while Junior Strealy Sizelove added 13 of her own.

DBU jumped out to a controlling 15-7 lead forcing the Muleriders into a timeout. Kasey Holand and Emma Eakin added a pair of kills jolting the Lady Patriots to a 19-11 lead heading into another SAU timeout. Brooke Clark added three kills of her own as the Lady Patriots never trailed throughout the set, going on a 9-3 run to end the opening set with a 25-14 win.

In the second set, DBU took an early lead up two before the Muleriders tied the match up at 6-6. The two teams traded points to 10 before the Lady Patriots called a timeout to regroup. After the break, DBU surged ahead 13-10 led by a pair of attack errors by SAU. The Lady Patriots traded points with SAU knotting the match up at 16 before an Emma Eakin block gave DBU the advantage up 17-16. The 4-0 run forced the Muleriders into a timeout. DBU would hold the Muleriders at bay for the remainder of the set going on to win the second set 25-20.

DBU controlled the third set throughout, never trailing throughout the entire match. The Lady Patriots ended the set on a service error by the Muleriders to end the set 25-21 to win the match.
 
KEY STORYLINES
 
- DBU never trailed in the entire match, for the first time all season.
- Kasey Holand, Brooke Clark, and Emma Eakin combined for 24 kills.
- The win marks the Lady Patriots firth against Southern Arkansas in school history.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
 
35 - total kills by the Lady Patriots.
32 - Aces in the match opposed to 22 from Southern Arkansas.
.353 - hitting percentage from Junior Emma Eakin.
10 - Lady Patriots registered at least one point in the match.

UP NEXT
DBU will compete in the Heartland Preseason Tournament September 13-15 in Dallas, Carrollton and Denton, Texas. The Lady Patriots will take on Lubbock Christian, St. Mary's, and Texas A&M International, Texas Woman's and Oklahoma Baptist, respectively.