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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Henderson State women's volleyball team, after having to abstain from play during the fall of 2020 due to COVID-19, will get its 2021 spring abbreviated season underway Tuesday, Jan. 26 against Southern Arkansas. First serve is at 6:30 p.m. inside the Duke Wells Center.
 
Henderson is coming off its two best records in the past decade after finishing 28-6 (13-3 in GAC play) in 2018 and 21-12 (11-5) in 2019. HSU saw its best finish as a member of the Great American Conference in '18, making it all the way to the conference championship match.
 
Coming into this year, the Reddies will look to replace a majority of their offense from two seasons ago (2019), as HSU loses all-timers Courtney Bolf and Adrianna Hartmann. Bolf ended her career seventh all-time in service aces and fifth all-time in digs. Hartmann occupies the ninth spot for block solos second in block assists.
 
Currently rostered for Henderson State is Abby Blackburn. The senior from Leawood, Kansas, is currently eighth all-time in assists with 1593. Veterans returning alongside Blackburn are junior Makenzie Thoman, senior Bree Sanders, redshirt-junior Brittany Barnekoff, junior Tyasia McGruder and junior Taylor Scalzi. HSU brings in eight new girls to the squad, including transfer Violeta Mendoza Quintana from New Mexico Military Institute.
 
Looking ahead to tomorrow's home-opener, Henderson State is 42-15 all-time against Southern Arkansas and is currently sporting a seven-match winning streak. The Reddies have been dominant against the Muleriders over the last half-decade as they have not ceded two sets in a single match to SAU inside Duke Wells since 2015, marking the last time HSU lost to the Muleriders on their home floor.
 
"What we have been talking about a ton is taking care of the first touch, making sure that whatever ball gets sent to us, whether it's a serve or whether it's an attack, that we handle the first ball [and] get it to the middle of the court so that we can run our offense," head coach Phil McDaniel said. "For us to be 1-0, we've gotta come out and execute, handle the first ball, and then we have to make sure that we handle all of our responsibilities as often as we can."  
 
Henderson State was tabbed to finish second in the Eastern Division in the GAC's preseason rankings while receiving one first-place vote. Joining HSU in the Eastern Division is preseason favorite Harding, Arkansas Tech, Ouachita Baptist, Arkansas-Monticello, and Southern Arkansas.
 
Southern Arkansas | (0-0, 0-0)   
Southern Arkansas is coming off a three-win campaign in 2019 in head coach Lindsey Parks' first year and has not seen a winning-record since 2015 when the program was 20-14 and lost the conference championship match.
 
The Muleriders return four seniors in Alana Perez, Lauren Smith, Morgan Gross, and Bailey Cagle. With only bringing in six new girls, SAU is led by a more veteran squad for Parks in her second stint.
 
Southern Arkansas was picked to finish sixth in the Eastern Division in the GAC's preseason rankings released earlier this month.