ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — After waiting over a year to take the court again, Henderson State opened its 2021 spring volleyball season in style on Tuesday night as the Reddies dispatched Southern Arkansas 3-1 (25-20, 25-22, 21-25, 25-15).

Four newcomers led the way for the Reddies in the win. Mya Robinson had a match-high 12 kills, Violeta Mendoza Quintana had seven kills and 11 digs, and Brittany Barnekoff and freshman Christiane Uzoh each tallied six kills and three digs. Returner Taylor Scalzi had a team-high 16 assists. 

HSU out-hit the Muleriders .179 to .129 and forced 26 SAU attacking errors. Henderson proved strong at the net and finished with eight blocks to just three for Southern Arkansas.

The Reddies (1-0) return to action next Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. when they host Harding in the Duke Wells Center.

SET ONE
Henderson jumped out to a 12-6 lead to open the match, but SAU came roaring back and used a 9-4 run to close the gap to 16-15 and force a Reddies timeout. The break did not stop the Muleriders' momentum, however, as they continued their climb and used a kill on the short set to take a 20-19 lead — their first since it was 3-2. Needing a response after surrendering the lead, HSU got just that. The Reddies used kills from Barnekoff and Bree Sanders, as well as an ace from Mendoza Quintana, to power a big 6-0 run which wiped away the Southern Arkansas lead and gave them a 25-20 set win. Mendoza Quintana had three kills, two aces, a block and an assist in the first frame.

SET TWO
After falling behind 7-4 to start the second, HSU got back on track with a 9-4 spurt to regain a 13-11 lead. SAU won three of the next four points to tie things at 14-14, but two kills from Barnekoff, a kill from Robinson and a Mulerider attack error allowed the Reddies to surge in front 20-15 with a 6-1 run. The timely stretch proved to be too much for Southern Arkansas in the set, as Henderson rode its five-point cushion to a 25-22 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.

SET THREE
Looking for a sweep, the Reddies took the first three points of the third set to jump out to a 3-0 lead. The Muleriders refused to roll over and answered with a 6-1 run to surge in front to a 6-4 advantage. SAU maintained its slim lead over the next several rallies and eventually extended it to 16-13. A 3-0 spurt from Henderson momentarily tied things up at 16-16, but Southern Arkansas responded with a 4-0 spurt of its own to reclaim a 20-16 lead. Although the Reddies closed the gap to 23-21 in the waning moments, SAU was able to close it out and stay alive with a 25-21 win. The Muleriders had an attacking percentage of .250 in the set.

SET FOUR
Despite missing the chance at a sweep, Henderson got off to a strong start in the fourth frame and opened up a commanding 13-6 lead behind three early kills from Robinson. Desperate to stay alive, SAU strung together four-straight points to close the deficit to 13-10, but a service error and kills from Mendoza Quintana and Uzoh gave the Reddies three-straight to answer the Southern Arkansas spurt and give HSU a 16-10 advantage. The run to extend the lead to six points proved to be the breaking point for the Muleriders, who never got within that margin again, as Henderson cruised to a 25-15 win to take the match 3-1.