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OWENSBORO, Kentucky - Henderson State hits the road for the first time this season to compete in the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational on Sept. 2-3. Henderson played in the tournament last year, finishing with three wins and only one loss, including a 3-0 win over host Kentucky Wesleyan. This year HSU will face Northern Michigan University, Purdue University Northwest, Kentucky State University and Tiffin University (Ohio).
Henderson will play two doubleheaders, first facing Northern Michigan at 9 a.m. and Purdue University Northwest at 3 p.m. on Friday. Then, on day two of the tournament, HSU will play Kentucky State University at 1 p.m. and Tiffin University at 5 p.m.
Henderson State (3-2, 0-0)
The Reddies will look to continue the momentum from their last match after taking down Division I Arkansas-Pine Bluff in five sets. Down 2-1 after three sets, Henderson rallied in the final two sets to take the intra-state matchup.
Sophomore
Christiane Uzoh had a career night versus the Lady Lions, accumulating 17 kills in five sets, eight of which came in the final two frames to help stave off elimination. Through the first five matches, the sophomore has 47 kills and averages 2.94 kills per set.
Kaitlyn Sykes and
Larkin Luke lead the team with seven successful blocks apiece. Sykes has 12 total blocks and Luke leads the team with 15. Sykes has also racked up 26 kills over five matches to add to all of her rejection numbers. Uzoh has also added to her blocks total after the victory over UAPB as she now has 10 denials, five of which have been solo.
Scouting Northern Michigan University
The Wildcats opened their season with three wins and only one loss in the NMU Open. Northern Michigan's sophomore outside hitter Jacqueline Smith has 67 kills, averaging 3.94 per frame. On the net Ania Hyatt and Lizzy Stark have both recorded four successful blocks making them team leaders.
Scouting Purdue University Northwest
Junior outside hitter Lauren Sanders leads the Pride in kills with 27. Not far behind the junior is Erica Brohm, who has 23 kills in the first four matches. PNW went 2-2 in the Sandy Hoffman Memorial Tournament. They had a first-match sweep followed by a 0-3 loss and finished the tournament with a 3-1 win and 3-1 loss.
Scouting Kentucky State University
The Thorobreds got out to a fast start in the KSU Invitational with a 3-0 sweep but would lose the remaining three matches, 3-0. Shaska Davis and Amaya Johnson lead the team in kills with 35 and 30, respectively.
Scouting Tiffin University (Ohio)
TU started the season 3-1 after playing in the Eckerd Tournament. Tiffin won their first three matches before getting swept by Eckerd. The Dragons outside hitter Wakaya Wilson leads the team with 50 kills, along with 31 digs. Tiffin as a team is averaging 11.33 kills a set and 1.73 blockers per frame.
What To Watch For…
The Reddies have never faced any of their opponents they will see in the Kentucky Wesleyan Invitational. Henderson will hope to get first-time wins over their competition and have a strong performance after a big victory earlier this week.
