FORT SMITH, Ark. - Down by two sets to Arkansas-Fort Smith, Henderson State rallied to win the third, but could not climb all the way out of the hole, as the Reddies fell to the Lions 3-1 (20-25, 19-25, 25-19, 18-25) at the Carr Racop Invitational on Saturday.
SET ONE: Henderson got out to an 11-6 lead early in the set, but UAFS responded with a 7-0 run to take a lead of its own, 13-11. The two teams battled over the next several points, eventually finding themselves knotted up at 20-20. With the score tied at 20 apiece, the Lions found their stride, ending the set on a 5-0 run to win it 25-20.
SET TWO: UAFS began the second set where they ended the first and jumped out to a 6-1 lead. The Reddies answered back with a 9-3 run to take their first lead of the set, 10-9. After exchanging the next 13 points, with the score tied 16-16, the Lions came up with another big run, this time ending the set on a 9-3 spurt to take it 25-19 and seize a 2-0 advantage in the match.
SET THREE: Down by two sets, the Reddies got off to a quick start in the third by taking an 8-3 lead which they then extended out to 16-10. Trailing by six points, UAFS put together a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to 16-15. From there, Henderson regained control, winning nine of the final 13 points in the set to get on the board with a 25-19 win.
Courtney Bolf had seven kills in the set for the Reddies.
SET FOUR: The fourth set was tight throughout as both teams battled for control of the match. For the third time, the teams found themselves tied late, this time squared up at 16-16, and for the third time in the match, it was the Lions who came up with a big run to gain separation. UAFS, behind a 9-2 run, pulled away from Henderson to win the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.
Game Notes: Four different Reddies registered double-digit kills in the match: Bolf with 19,
Kamra Jackson with 13, and
Adrianna Hartmann and
Karlie Greene each with 10. Setters
Sariah Boney and
Danika Daum each had over 20 assists, as Boney finished with 27 and Daum with 21.
Sydney Skelton led Henderson with 35 digs, while Boney and Bolf each notched double-doubles by contributing 19 and 16 digs, respectively. Freshman
Delaney Price also added 16 digs, while Hartmann led the Reddies in blocks with three.
Up Next: The Reddies play again this afternoon in the final match of the Carr Racop Invitational against Northwest Missouri State at 4:30 p.m.
