ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — After posting a perfect 4-0 record as the co-hosts of the Reddie-Tiger Invitational, Henderson State will complete its circuit of early season tournaments this weekend at the Union Invitational in Jackson, Tennessee.
At the Reddie-Tiger Invitational, the Reddies took care of Mississippi College 3-0 in their home opener, before beating Union University in five sets to close out the first day of the tournament. The following day, HSU took care of Southwest Baptist University in straight sets and defeated Dallas Baptist 3-1. Courtney Bolf and Zuzana Ondruskova were named to the All-Tournament team, while Gigi Garramone was awarded the GAC's Defensive Player of the Week award after tallying 69 digs over four matches. Garramone also leads the Reddies in digs for the season, with 112 thus far.
After dropping two of their first three matches, the Reddies have stayed out of the loss column, and are riding a five-match win streak, the program's longest since the 2011 season. Courtney Bolf leads the team with 88 kills and is second on the squad with 104 digs. Abby Blackburn holds the team lead with 130 assists.
Game 1: Belmont Abbey College – September 7 – 12:00 P.M.
The Belmont Abbey Crusaders have been one of the most consistent programs in the Carolinas Conference since the arrival of head coach Toni Elyea. Coach Elyea has led the Crusaders to a 52-39 record in her three-plus years at the helm, including postseason appearances each season. After finishing the 2017 season with a 17-12 overall record, and a 9-5 record in conference, the Crusaders fell in the championship game of the Carolinas Conference Tournament. However, Belmont Abbey has gotten off to a slow start in 2018, and holds a 2-4 record coming into the Union Invitational. The squad is led by senior Sarah Kenney, who was the Carolinas Conference's Defensive Player of the Year last season. Setter Cassidy Bonito and outside hitter Mackenzie Chrapliwy are also known commodities for the Crusaders, and were Second Team All-Carolinas Conference selections in 2017.
Game 2: Lane College – September 7 – 7:00 P.M.
Second year head coach Jacqueline Stewart has the tall task of revitalizing a Lane College volleyball program that lost 96 straight matches from 2011-2015. In just her first year in charge, Stewart guided the Lady Dragons to a 10-19 overall record, and a respectable 7-11 record in conference play. The Lady Dragons remain a bit of mystery entering the Union Invitational, having played only one match in the 2018 season; a straight-set loss to Harris-Stowe State University.
Game 3: Christian Brothers University – September 8 – 12:30 P.M.
The Christian Brothers Lady Bucs have also stumbled out of the gates, posting a 3-5 record in their first eight matches. CBU is led by 14th year head coach In-Sik Hwang, who holds the school record for career wins, and has guided the Lady Bucs to NCAA tournament appearances in 2011 and 2012. However, the Lady Bucs were unable to right the ship in 2017, finishing the season with a 15-18 record, and missing out on the Gulf South Tournament. CBU's most accomplished returner is junior outside hitter Emma Lenoir, who was named Second Team All-GSC last season. The last time these two teams met was in 2015, when the Reddies fell to the Lady Bucs 3-0.
Game 4: Union University (TN.) – September 8 – 7:00 P.M.
The Reddies will face the Union University Lady Bulldogs for the second time in less than 10 days when these two teams meet in the finale of the Union Invitational. Henderson's win versus Union was perhaps the most exciting match of the Reddies' season up to this point, as Henderson State won a five-set thriller at the Reddie-Tiger Invitational last weekend. The tournament hosts will no doubt be looking forward to the friendly confines of their home arena, as they carry just a 1-8 record into the weekend.
