ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Henderson State's 2019 volleyball season got off to a good start on Friday morning when the Reddies defeated Mississippi College 3-1 (18-25, 25-15, 25-17, 25-17).

Junior transfer Sabrina Show led all players with 20 kills in her home debut, while Courtney Bolf got her season off on the right foot with a 14-kill, 12-dig double-double. Bolf's second kill of the match gave her 1,078 digs for her career, moving her into ninth place all-time at Henderson State. Also helping the cause were Abby Blackburn and Taylor Scalzi, who combined for 48 aces, and MaKenzie Thoman, who notched a game-high 22 digs.

Unfortunately, the Reddies were unable to sweep the season's opening day as they fell short to No. 20 Texas A&M-Commerce in the nightcap 3-2 (11-25, 25-20, 25-20, 17-25, 5-15).

The Reddies return to the Duke Wells Center tomorrow, where they will take on St. Edward's at 1 p.m. and UT-Tyler at 6 p.m.

Game 1: Henderson State 3, Mississippi College 1

SET ONE
The Reddies got off to a sluggish start late Friday morning and quickly found themselves in a 4-0 hole in the opening set of the season. HSU flashed a bit of life after back-to-back kills from Bree Sanders and Show, before an ace by Bolf leveled the score at 4-4. Henderson was unable to grab the lead however, and Mississippi College took five of the next six points, equaling their largest lead at 9-5. The Lady Choctaws stayed in front for most of the set, until a kill from Show and an ace from Scalzi tied the game at 17-17. Unfortunately for Henderson, Mississippi College exploded on an 8-1 run to close, and took the first set 25-18.

SET TWO
After shaking off any offseason cobwebs, the Reddies came out firing in set number two. Blackburn opened the scoring with three-straight service aces before a two kills from Bolf put the Reddies up 7-1. The Lady Choctaws cut the lead in half, but a powerful kill from sophomore Alex Tyler sparked the Reddies to a 5-0 run that gave Henderson a commanding 12-4 advantage. After alternating points to made it 15-7, both teams traded scoring runs. The Lady Choctaws picked up five points in row to cut HSU's lead to three, 15-12, before three aces by Adrianna Hartmann helped the Reddies nab six-straight and push the lead to nine, 21-12. HSU cruised from there, as Show's tenth kill of the game knotted the match at 1-1 and gave Henderson a 25-15 win.

SET THREE
For the first time in the match, the beginning of a set started with back and forth action. With Mississippi College in front 7-6, a quick 4-0 spurt by the Reddies gave them a 10-7 lead. The Lady Choctaws grabbed three of the next four points to make it 11-10, but a lengthy 11-4 Reddies run gave HSU some breathing room, 22-14. With the score 23-17, a dominant kill by Sanders put Mississippi College on the brink before Blackburn's ace ended it for HSU, 25-17.

SET FOUR
Similarly to the second set, Henderson State took early command of what would be the final frame of the match. After Blackburn's fifth ace of the day, the Reddies took four of the next five points and led 5-1. Henderson kept the Lady Choctaws at an arm's length as the set progressed, slowly building their lead to five, 9-4, to six, 15-9, and to seven, 18-11. Although Mississippi College cut it to five, 22-17, the Reddies finished on a 3-0 spurt and secured their first win of the season with a 25-17 victory in the set.

Game 2: Texas A&M Commerce 3, Henderson State 2

SET ONE
In the nightcap of Friday's action it was the Lions who came out firing. A&M scored the match's first eight points, and had a commanding 13-2 lead before the Reddies could notch back-to-back points and make it 13-4. Unfortunately, HSU's first sign of life was washed away by another 7-0 run from the Lions, who cruised through the first set and took it 25-11 to go up 1-0 in the match.

SET TWO
Following back-and-forth action through eight points, Henderson started to assert themselves in the match. Blackburn jumpstarted the Reddies with pinpoint serves, and a kill from Bolf spring boarded HSU to a 6-1 run and a 10-5 lead. However, the Lions came right back with a 7-2 run of their own to tie things up at 12-12. With the set up for grabs, HSU used its offensive flexibility and got kills from Show, Scalzi, Bolf, and McGruder to surge ahead 20-17. The Reddies controlled the rest of the set and tied the match with 25-20 win.

SET THREE
The Reddies kept their momentum going at the start of set number three. With the score 2-1 Lions, the Reddies went on an 8-0 run to take a 9-2 lead. However, it was anything but smooth sailing, as Commerce began to chip away at the HSU advantage. A&M used runs of 5-0 and 4-0 to eventually pull within one, 15-14. Although the Lions kept it a one-point game at 20-19 and 21-20, they were unable to tie or take the lead, as HSU pulled away and took the lead in the match, 25-20.

SET FOUR
The roles were reversed in the fourth set, as it was the Reddies who tried to keep pace with the Lions. Commerce worked its way out to an early 6-4 lead before HSU knotted it up at 8-8 after a well-placed kill from Tyler. The Lions kept the Reddies off balance however, not allowing HSU to score back-to-back points while going on an 8-3 run that helped them open a 16-11 lead. An impressive combo block from Sanders and Show pulled the Reddies within two, 16-14, but HSU would come no closer, as A&M tied the match 25-17 to send the match to a fifth set.

SET FIVE
Unfortunately for the Reddies, it was all Commerce in the final frame. The Lions jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, and then took complete control with a 6-0 run which made it 13-4. Henderson's final kill came from Show, but it wasn't enough, as the Lions took the set, and the match, with a 15-5 set win.