HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Henderson State falls in the GAC Championship match to No. 2 seed Oklahoma Baptist 3-1. HSU finishes the year with its fourth 20-win season and second GAC Championship appearance under head coach Phil McDaniel as the Reddies end the season 21-11 overall and 10-6 in conference matches.
 
Violeta Mendoza Quintana and Trinity Sharp earned All-Tournament Team honors for their performances during the tournament. Mendoza Quintana finished with the second most kills on the team for the tournament with 35 kills and had 59 digs for a double-double in each of the three matches, while Sharp led the team with 62 digs across the the three days for an average of 5.16 digs per set.
 


Against the Bison, Christiane Uzoh was one of three players to reach double-figure kills, leading the team with 15 on a .268 attack average. Jagoda Szybinska and Mendoza Quintana tallied 11 and 10 kills, respectively, as the team ended with 50 on a .204 attack average. Madison Hatt saw a double-double with a team-high 30 assists and added 13 digs to her totals.
 
SET ONE
HSU and OKBU traded blows in the opening exchanges of the first set before Mendoza Quintana provided some breathing room with back-to-back kills to give the Reddies a 10-5 lead. Kills by Larkin Luke and Brae Denton kept Henderson in front 17-13, but the Bison would close the gap on a 3-0 run to trail 18-17. Another burst of points for Oklahoma Baptist saw them take the lead 20-19.
 
The two sides went point for point with three ties until the Reddies took a 23-22 lead off a kill by Mendoza Quintana to force an OKBU timeout. The Bison took the lead after the break, 24-23, and the Reddies would fend off the first set-point as they tied the frame 25-25 and then 27-27. HSU grabbed set-point on a 2-0 run, but three straight points by Oklahoma Baptist would see the Bison take the first set 31-29.
 
SET TWO
After a back-and-forth start to the second frame, which saw three ties and two lead changes, Oklahoma Baptist found separation on a 4-0 run to take the lead 9-6. Two kills by Jagdoa Szybinska and an ace by Mendoza Quintana brought the Reddies within one before a 3-0 run HSU tied the set 13-13. Again, the two sides traded rallies as the score reached another deadlock at 19-19. HSU closed out the set on a 6-0 run with two kills by Uzoh to tie the set at 1-1 after a 25-20 win.
 
SET THREE
Similar to the second set, the third frame opened with Henderson State and Oklahoma Baptist tied at 9-9. The Bison found separation on a 5-0 run to take the lead 14-10 and stretched their edge to 20-15. Kills by Uzoh and Szybinska kept the Reddies within four of the Bison, but Henderson could not close the gap as Oklahoma Baptist took the third set 25-18. 
 
SET FOUR
Oklahoma Baptist kept the momentum with them in the fourth frame, opening the set with a 12-1 lead. Kills by Szybinska and Mendoza Quintana, along with two errors by OKBU, brought the Reddies within eight, 16-8. In control, Oklahoma Baptist would take the final set 25-10.