HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Zuzana Ondruskova and Courtney Bolf combined for 44 kills and 53 digs as Henderson State defeated Southwestern Oklahoma State 3-1 (25-23, 26-28, 25-20, 25-22) to secure a spot in the Great American Championship match on Saturday.

The victory sends HSU into its first conference championship match since 2001, when the Reddies won the Gulf South Conference Tournament title. The Reddies also matched the 2001 team in total wins, as the 2018 Reddies are now 28-5 on the season. The 2001 squad was the last HSU volleyball team to reach that mark, as they finished the season 28-11. With a win Saturday, the Reddies would qualify for the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2001 season, when the Reddies won their opening round match versus Alabama-Huntsville before falling to Truman State.

Multiple Reddies set career-highs in a variety of categories including Bolf with 33 digs, Ondruskova with 21 kills, and Kenzie Thoman with 30 digs. Abby Blackburn and Taylor Scalzi also turned in double-doubles for Henderson State. Blackburn finished with 32 assists and 13 digs, while Scalzi chipped in 29 assists and 10 digs. Alex Tyler led the Reddies with five block assists. Adrianna Hartmann, Karlie Greene, and Tyasia McGruder combined for 21 kills, while Gigi Garramone helped Henderson off the bench with eight timely digs.

Henderson State will take on No. 1 seed Harding in the Great American Conference Championship tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the Bank OZK Arena in Hot Springs, Arkansas. 

Set One
The Reddies flexed their defensive muscles in the opening moments of Friday's semifinal match, as a block assist from Greene and Tyler gave the Reddies a 1-0 lead. Moments later, multiple Reddies made acrobatic digs, leading to a Bolf kill that had Henderson up 2-0. SWOSU answered quickly to jump in front 4-2., but the Reddies cleaned things up, as two kills from Bolf, as well as a quick-kill from Scalzi, helped Henderson reclaim a 7-6 lead. After SWOSU tied it at 7-7, the Reddies went on their first spurt of the day, as kills from Ondruskova and McGruder, and an ace from Thoman, gave HSU its biggest lead, 10-7. The Lady Bulldogs worked their way back in it, but with the score knotted at 20-20, HSU used a Greene kill, Garramone ace and Bolf's seventh kill of the set to go in front 23-20. The Lady Bulldogs refused to roll over, scoring two in a row to close the gap to 23-22 and set up some late drama. Up a point, Henderson got a solo block from Tyler and Bolf's eighth kill of the set to take it 25-22 and go up 1-0 in the match.

Set Two
Henderson opened up a 4-2 lead to begin the second, but a SWOSU run pushed the Lady Bulldogs in front 12-8, which was a lead they eventually extended to 18-13. After a timeout, the Reddies found their footing, as they scored five-straight points to tie the set at 18-18. SWOSU responded with a 4-1 run that put HSU in a 22-19 hole, but it seemed Henderson had an answer again, as the Reddies rattled off five-straight to push SWOSU to set point at 24-22. Unfortunately, the Reddies were unable to put the Bulldogs away, as SWOSU fought off four different set points and eventually closed it out 28-26 to tie the match 1-1.

Set Three
The start of the third set was marked by back-and-forth action, but with the score 3-3, Henderson used a quick run to seize a 7-3 lead early. The Lady Bulldogs scored three-straight to pull within one, but two kills from Ondruskova helped the Reddies move the lead back out to four at 12-8. The Reddies got back-to-back kills from Greene and Bolf to take their biggest lead of the set, 15-10, but SWOSU used a 6-2 run to pull within one for the second time, 17-16. HSU rebuffed the SWOSU run with an ace and kill from Bolf, followed by two-straight kills from Ondruskova, as the Reddies rebuilt a four-point lead, 21-17. SWOSU put the pressure back on Henderson after the break, as the score moved to 22-20. Neither HSU nor SWOSU was willing to give an inch on the next point, as the match's longest rally went back and forth for what seemed like hours. However, it was the Reddies who took the point with Ondruskova's match-leading 18th kill. Ondruskova's kill was reviewed but upheld, and the Reddies took the set's final two points, as well as a 2-1 match lead, 25-20. 

Set Four
Henderson got off to a flying start in the fourth set, as a Blackburn ace and two Bolf kills had the Reddies up 5-1. HSU's advantage was short-lived, however, as an 11-2 SWOSU run gave the Lady Bulldogs a 12-7 lead. Down 14-9, the Reddies got kills from McGruder, Greene, and Ondruskova to trim the deficit to 14-13 and force SWOSU into a timeout. The Reddies tied the match directly after the break at 14-14 with a career-high 20th kill from Ondruskova. The set went back-and-forth for the next few points before Hartmann teamed up with Bolf and Tyler on back-to-back block assists to give the Reddies a 20-18 advantage and all the momentum. SWOSU cut the Reddies lead to one, 20-19, but Bolf's 22nd and 23rd kills of the evening pushed the Lady Bulldogs to the brink, 24-20. SWOSU scored two-straight but came no closer, as once again it was Hartmann who stepped up with an emphatic kill that ended it and sent Henderson to the title match.