RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Henderson State dropped its quarterfinal match in Russellville on Thursday night as the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns advanced to Great American Conference Tournament semifinals after a 3-0 defeat of the Reddies.
 
GAC Newcomer of the Year Violeta Mendoza Quintana registered 11 kills while carrying an attack percentage of .195 while senior Brittany Barnekoff saw a season-high eight kills. GAC Defensive Player of the Year Makenzie Thoman had 20 digs and three assists in the effort.
 
SET ONE
Henderson State used back-to-back errors from Arkansas Tech to start off the quarterfinals with the 2-0 lead, but the Golden Suns regrouped to take go ahead, 4-3. The Golden Suns never looked back after that as they held the lead the rest of the first frame, taking the first set, 25-20.  
 
SET TWO
Tech kept hold of the momentum, seeing its biggest lead of the second set at 13-7 before the Reddies began to climb back in an attempt to even the match at one apiece. Henderson got the score within one, 17-16, only to have ATU build a five point lead at 21-16.
 
The Reddies delivered a 6-2 run to try and keep pace with the host team, but the final two points going the Golden Suns' way showed a 25-22 second-set win, extending Arkansas Tech's match lead, 2-0.
 
SET THREE
Early on, Henderson State looked to turn the tables on Tech, sprinting out to a 4-1 lead. The Reddies held ATU at bay for the first half of the third set, but the knockout blow came once HSU held a 14-13 advantage.
 
A 7-1 run from the Golden Suns gave them the five point lead that they would not relinquish, ultimately taking the third and final set, 25-19.
 
Henderson State is not done with the spring 2021 season just yet as it will continue play at the AVCA National Championships taking place in Dallas, Texas, from April 14-17 to close out the semester.