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SEARCY, Ark.- After finishing the Kentucky Wesleyan Tournament 1-3, Henderson State will look to bounce back on the road against Harding University in the first Great American Conference match Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 6 p.m. The Reddies finished last season 10-6 versus conference opponents, finishing sixth overall.
Henderson State (4-5 0,0)
The Reddies leaned on true freshman outside hitter Aleah Stonger, who finished the Kentucky Wesleyan Tournament with 39 kills and two double-doubles.
Christiane Uzoh accumulated 34 kills, 16 of which came against Northern Michigan in the first match.
Sophomore middle blocker
Brae Denton is slowly making her way back from an injury that has kept her sidelined for the start of the season. Denton played five sets this past weekend, recording five kills, four digs and three total blocks.
Henderson, as a team, is averaging an attack percentage of .137 while holding opponents to a .119 attack average. The Reddie defense recorded 67 total blocks, averaging 2.1 per set.
Larkin Luke leads the defense on the net with nine solo blocks partnered by
Kaitlyn Sykes, who has eight. Along with Luke and Sykes, Uzoh has racked up seven solo blocks.
HSU is currently on a four-match losing streak to the Lady Bisons, last defeating them in 2019. Harding currently leads the series 39-17.
Scouting Harding University (7-1, 0,0)
Harding is currently riding a five-match win streak after sweeping the competition in the Kentucky Wesleyan Tournament. In all four matches, the Lady Bisons beat their opponents 3-0.
Harding has dominated every match they have competed in this season, sweeping six of its nine matches and only playing more than three sets one time.
Outside hitter Logan Smith led Harding's attack in the tournament, accumulating 43 kills and leading the team with 82 on the season. Senior middle blocker Kelli McKinnon has racked up 72 kills, giving her the second most kills for the team.
What To Watch For…
-The Reddies had won three consecutive conference openers before last year's 3-1 defeat to Arkansas Tech. Henderson will look to get back in the win column in Tuesday's match.
- Freshman Aleah Stonger has stepped up in the absence of injured Violeta Mendoza Qunitana. Stogner and Uzoh lead the team in kills by a large margin with 87 and 67 kills, respectively.
