ARKADELPHIA, Ark. —
Zuzana Ondruskova and
Courtney Bolf turned in double-doubles, while
Abby Blackburn and
Taylor Scalzi combined for 75 assists, as the Reddies picked up one of their biggest home victories of the Phil McDaniel era and defeated Ouachita Baptist 3-2 (24-26, 25-21,15-25, 27-25, 15-10). HSU's comeback victory sent the Reddies to the top of the GAC standings with a 4-0 record and continued the program's best start ever in GAC play. Henderson (15-2, 4-0) has now won 14-straight matches. The Reddies 15th win of the season is the most single-season wins for the program since the 2007 campaign when Henderson finished 22-10.
Adrianna Hartmann had a season-high 16 kills with an impressive .467 attack percentage.
Karlie Greene also surpassed the double-digit milestone in kills for the second time this season with 11. Blackburn set career-highs with 35 assists and 18 digs in the winning effort.
Gigi Garramone doubled her previous career high in defensive digs with 39.
Henderson will continue its four-game homestand when the Harding Bisons come to town on September 24 at 6:30 p.m. for a showdown between the GAC's front-runners.
SET ONE
The Reddies looked to take control of the first set after four kills from Ondruskova had HSU up 6-3. The Tigers fired back quickly however and used a 4-1 run to tie the set at 7-7. The first set remained tightly contested, before two kills from OBU's Adrianna Nolly pushed the Tigers into a three-point lead, 20-17. The Reddies remained poised and would tie the set 22-22 shortly thereafter. The score eventually moved to 23-23, and 24-24, before Ouachita capitalized on a Reddies error to take the set, and the match lead, 26-24.
SET TWO
After both teams traded barbs at the onset of set two, the frame was marked by mini-runs on both sides. With the score tied 7-7, the Reddies got kills from
Alex Tyler, Bolf, and
Tyasia McGruder en route to a 6-2 run and a 13-9 lead. The Tigers roared back, winning six of the next seven points to take a 15-14 lead. Now trailing, HSU went on its second 6-2 run of the set, which gave the Reddies a 21-18 lead. The Tigers came out of the break hungry, tying the set at 21-21, but four-straight from Henderson sealed the set and tied the match, 25-21.
SET THREE
HSU was unable to carry their second set momentum into the third frame, and found themselves in trouble early, trailing 10-5. The Reddies grabbed two quick points to make the score 10-7, but Ouachita responded with an 11-3 run as the Lady Tigers took complete control, 21-10. The Reddies were unable to make a dent in the OBU lead, as Ouachita took the third set 25-15.
SET FOUR
The Tigers pounced early in the fourth set and had an 8-3 lead in the blink of an eye as they looked to seal the match. HSU countered with a run of its own, as an 8-4 burst cut Ouachita's lead down to one, 12-11. OBU punched back, however, as a 7-2 Tigers run put the Reddies in serious trouble, 19-13. With the Reddies looking for a spark, Tyler had three kills in four points, giving the Reddies enough momentum to once more crawl within one point of the Tigers, 21-20. The Reddies would eventually tie the match at 23-23, sending a packed Duke Wells Center into a frenzy. The Tigers took the next point and put the Reddies on the brink, but a clutch kill from Bolf tied the game at 24-24. Again, the Reddies faced match-point with the score 25-24, and once again, the Reddies turned to Bolf continue the match. Bolf answered the call, with a ferocious kill that tied the set 25-25. On the following point, a center-court kill from Hartmann gave the Reddies their first lead of the fourth set, 26-25, before a Ouachita error gave the frame to HSU, 27-25, and sent the match to a fifth and final frame.
SET FIVE
Bolf's inspired play carried over to the final set, as three powerful kills from the junior gave the Reddies a comfortable 8-3 lead. The calm did not last long, as the Tigers stormed back with 5-1 run, slicing the Reddies lead to one, 9-8. After a well-placed timeout from head coach Phil McDaniel helped HSU regain its composure, Reddies' juniors Hartmann, Greene and Bolf each had a kill, pushing the lead back to four, 12-8. The Tigers would pull within three, but got no closer, as back-to-back kills from Greene finished the set, and the match, 15-10.
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