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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State resumes conference matches with back-to-back road contests in the Sooner State against Southeastern Oklahoma State and East Central on Oct. 12-13. The Reddies will face SE at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 12, followed by ECU at 4 p.m. on Friday.
 
REDDIES REPORT
Henderson State (14-6, 5-2) completed the double over Christian Brothers in a 3-1 win after defeating them earlier this season in straight sets. The Reddies fell behind 1-0 in the match but took three consecutive frames to win, outscoring the Lady Bucs 75-52 in the final three stanzas.
 
Jagoda Szybinska posted a season-high 16 kills in the win over CBU while hitting .324 a clip. The Poznan, Poland native has recorded an attack average of .300 or better in the last three matches with 37 kills and a .397 attack percentage over 12 sets. Mia Sanchez (102) and Brae Denton (101) broke 100 kills this season in the last match, scoring six and four, respectively.
 
Nathalie Van slotted into the starting lineup against Christian Brothers and went on to post a career-high 26 assists and her third double-double of the year, adding ten digs to her totals. The Las Vegas native is second on the team in assists with 280, as Madison Hatt leads the team with 355.
 
The Reddies and Southeastern Oklahoma State take the court for the 21^st time on Thursday, with the series favoring the red-and-gray 13-8. HSU has fared well on the road in Durant, Okla., holding a 4-2 record and has won their last three matches as the visitors. In 2021, Violeta Mendoza Quintana led HSU to a 3-2 win in the Bloomer Sullivan Gymnasium with 21 kills and 12 digs.
 
HSU looks to snap a two-match skid against East Central in Friday's contest in the Kerr Activities Center. ECU leads the series heading into the 17^th meeting with 11 wins to Henderson's five. The two sides have played each other close in the last two outings, with both matches going to five sets.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHEASTERN OKLAHOMA STATE
The Savage Storm is on a two-match win streak entering Thursday's contest after beating Southern Arkansas 3-1 and Arkansas-Monticello 3-1. After going 2-0 last week, Southeastern Oklahoma State sits 3-4 in the GAC and 7-10 overall.
 
SE is led by one the best outside hitters in all Division II, as D'Nari Mills ranks first in the nation in total kills with 350 and is second in D2 in kills per set, averaging 5.07. In her last two matches, Mills racked up 38 kills, with 31 coming against SAU. This season, the sophomore has nine matches with 20 or more kills, including a stretch where she had 20 or more in six consecutive contests.
 
Backing Mills in attack is setter Ruthie Forson, who leads the team with 480 assists and is third in kills with 97. Forson is one of seven players in Division II this season to have two triple-doubles. Most recently, the senior setter recorded ten kills, 45 assists, and 11 digs in the 3-1 win over SAU.
 
SCOUTING EAST CENTRAL
ECU (8-11, 3-4) has lost its last two matches after going on a three-match win streak in conference play. The Tigers recently fell in five sets at home to Oklahoma Christian on Tuesday. East Central's three GAC wins have come against Southeastern Oklahoma State, Northwestern Oklahoma State and Arkansas-Monticello.
 
Leading the Tigers offense is Emma Strickland, who is second in the GAC in kills with 290 and is averaging 3.92 a set. In ECU's most recent match, Strickland posted her 16^th match with double-figure kills, recording 20 against Oklahoma Christian. East Central features another top attacker in the league as Odalys Gonzalez is third in the conference in kills with 251 after logging 14 kills against OC.