ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State was firing on all cylinders as it treated the home crowd of the Duke Wells Center on a Tuesday night, claiming its second conference victory of the season, defeating Southern Arkansas in straight sets, 25-21, 25-9, 25-15.
 
The Reddies saw their best attacking performance against a GAC team of the season at .342, including .667 in the second set.
 
Mya Robinson returned to her dominant self, posting nine kills on a .261 attack percentage while Violeta Mendoza Quintana had seven kills to only one error for a .462 attack percentage.
 
Freshman Madison Hatt filled up the stat sheet nicely herself, going for a team-high five service aces, 11 assists and two kills on just two total attacks.  
 
SET ONE
The night began slowly for HSU, allowing the Muleriders to score five of the first seven points of the match to see an early 5-2 advantage. Southern Arkansas maintained a minimal lead all the way until 9-8 when the Reddies decided to turn it on, taking a 10-9 lead off a Mendoza Quintana kill that they would not give up.
 
Henderson closed the deal with a pair of Robinson kills, met with a pair of Mendoza Quintana kills, that gave HSU the first-set nod, 25-21. Both teams hit above .200 in the competitive first set, though it would not stay that way.
 
SET TWO
The Reddies were ready to roll from the jump, racing out to a 5-1 lead, which turned into 12-4 lead, thanks to four aces from the home team – two from Mendoza Quintana and two from Hatt. The Henderson defense would only allow the Muleriders five more points the rest of the way as it took the second frame, 25-9.
 
Henderson saw its best attack percentage in a set of the season, hitting .667 while holding SAU to .053. Nine points was also the fewest points HSU has allowed in a set against a conference opponent since facing Arkansas-Monticello back on Feb. 26. The Reddies were responsible for only three errors for the entire second stint.
 
SET THREE
As if the Henderson defense could not prove more dominant than it just had, HSU held the Muleriders to their lowest attack output of the match, hitting -.074 in the final frame of the night. The Reddies offense, however, was unable to pull away in the first half of the set, with HSU holding a slight 14-13 advantage.
 
From there, Henderson put all hopes of a fourth set for the traveling SAU fans to rest, closing out on an 11-2 run to take the final set, 25-15.
 
Henderson State (12-4, 2-2) will look to get above .500 in GAC play on Thursday, Sept. 30 when it travels to Monticello, Arkansas, for a battle with UAM. First serve is set for 6 p.m.