ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Henderson State volleyball improves to 18-9 overall and 9-5 in conference matches after its 3-0 win over the Cotton Blossoms of Arkansas-Monticello in the Duke Wells Center.
 
The Reddies put on an attacking display, hitting .329 as a team with 36 kills, while the defense stuffed the UAM attack, holding the Blossoms to 27 kills on a .032 attack average. Christiane Uzoh and Jagoda Szybinska led the team with six kills each, and both hit over .450 for the match, while Madison Hatt conducted the offense with 16 assists.
 
At the net, freshman Cassidi Campbell paced the team with four blocks and added three kills to her totals. Trinity Sharp posted 13 digs, while Violeta Mendoza Quintana and Dani Dagley combined for 15.
 
SET ONE
A cagey start to the opening set saw the two sides tied at 3-3 before HSU broke open the frame on 5-0 run, capped off by a kill from Szybinska to lead 13-6. UAM used at timeout after the flurry of attacks and regrouped going on a 5-1 stretch to get within three, 14-11. Soon after, the Blossoms cut the lead down to one, 17-16 on a 3-0 run. The Reddies kicked into gear in the final rallies with a 3-0 stretch and would follow it up on 4-2 run to win 25-20.
 
SET TWO
The Reddies picked up the pace in the early exchanges of the second set, racing ahead 8-2 with a kill and block by Campbell. UAM slashed HSU's advantage to two on a 4-0 run, but Henderson State would reestablish a six-point edge after four straight UAM errors, 13-7. HSU kept in front, rattling off seven straight points, featuring two kills by Mendoza Quintana to stretch the advantage to 20-10.
 
Henderson State finished off a dominant second set with back-to-back kills by Szybinska before a ball handling error by UAM gave the Reddies set point, 25-14. The HSU attack had 13 kills on a .276 attack average while holding the Blossoms to a .040 attack average.  
 
SET THREE
The momentum stayed on the side of the red-and-gray as Henderson State took a 10-3 lead to start the third stanza. A kill by Larkin Luke grew the Reddies' lead to double-figures, 15-4, before Campbell recorded another kill and block to stretch the team's edge to 18-5. HSU rattled off three straight kills from Campbell, Carson Edwards and Skye Johns to lead 23-7, and Luke would provide the finishing touches with a kill to win the final frame 25-9.  
 
The Reddies (18-9, 9-5) wrap up its home slate of matches for this season next time out, hosting the second installment of the Battle of the Ravine on Senior Night, Monday, Nov. 6, at 6:30 p.m. in the Duke Wells Center.