ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – In front of its best crowd of the season, Henderson State inflicted a pair of season firsts against Harding, scoring more than 21 points in a set as a conference opponent and seeing a set victory on the Lady Bisons, as HU swept its only two conference opponents of the season.
 
Despite those numbers, Harding was able to take the overall match, 3-1. After winning the first two sets, 25-18 and 26-24, the Reddies avoided the sweep with a third set, 25-23, triumph before the Lady Bisons closed the match in the fourth frame, 25-17.
 
Violeta Mendoza Quintana claimed a double-double with 17 kills and 13 digs. Taylor Scalzi also saw her first double-double of the season, delivering 19 set assists and 16 digs. Christiane Uzoh saw another highly efficient performance, hitting .321 with 12 kills.
 
SET ONE
Points were alternated most of the first half of the opening set as the match saw seven ties within the first 16 points of the contest. With HSU grabbing a 9-8 lead off a Mendoza Quintana kill, the Lady Bisons put together a 5-0 run to take a decisive lead that would last the rest of the set.
 
Down the stretch, the deficit got cut to as low as three before Harding closed out with a 5-1 run to take the 1-0 match lead, 25-18.
 
SET TWO
Much like the first set, both teams took turns scoring as the second set stood at 9-9 before it was the Reddies' turn to go on the run. A 4-0 run, thanks to three straight attack errors from the Lady Bisons, gave HSU a 12-9 lead, which it would hold until the scoreboard read 15-13.
 
Harding went on another back-breaking run, racing out to a 17-15 lead before the Reddies' refused to go away, tying it back at 17-17. A 6-2 run on the side of the home team looked like the Reddie faithful were going to see a 1-1 ballgame as HSU claimed a 23-20 advantage.
 
With the crowd inside the Duke Wells Center getting into the match, Harding broke through the noise of the screaming onlookers, removing all hope of a 1-1 tie, closing out on a 6-1 run to see a commanding 2-0 match lead.
 
SET THREE
With the air sucked out of the arena, Henderson would need a gutsy effort to extend play, and that is just what happened. With the Lady Bisons jumping out to a 9-3 lead, the end appeared to be in sight before the Reddies began to claw their way back.
 
A 14-5 run for the home team, including a pair of Tyasia McGruder kills, ignited the home crowd once again as HSU found renewed hope with a 17-14 advantage.
 
With the Lady Bisons attempting to dash that hope one final time with a 9-3 run to jump ahead, 23-20, five consecutive kills from the Reddies to close the set – back-to-back winners from Brae Denton and then three straight from defending GAC Newcomer of the Year Mendoza Quintana – gave life to the Reddies with the 25-23 win.     
 
SET FOUR
The visiting Lady Bisons had no intention of letting the overall match slip away, however, as HU never trailed in the final frame after Henderson saw the first point of the set.
 
Building its biggest lead of the match at 18-10, HSU gave one last go at forcing a fifth set with a 4-0 run at 21-13 to bring the tally to within four, Harding left no doubt with a 4-0 run to claim its seventh victory of the season, 25-17.
 
Henderson State (11-4, 1-2) returns to the Duke Wells Center on Tuesday, Sept. 28 when the Southern Arkansas Muleriders come to Arkadelphia. First serve of the conference battle is set for 6:30 p.m.