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ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – In the final regular season showdown of 2023, Henderson State travels to Magnolia, Ark. to face Southern Arkansas on Thursday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. in the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
 
REDDIES REPORT
For the second time this season, Henderson State (19-9, 10-5) and Ouachita Baptist battled it out in a five-set thriller, which the Reddies would win 3-2. Like the first meeting, HSU was behind 2-1 after the first three sets, but the Reddies outscored the Tigers 40-23 in the fourth and fifth frames to complete the series sweep this season.
 
In her final home match as a Reddie, Violeta Mendoza Quintana saw her 11^th double-double of the season after a dominant performance, recording 21 kills on a .302 attack average and 20 digs. Joining the Chihuahua, Mexico native, Madison Hatt tallied her 12^th double-double with 30 assists and ten digs. Mendoza Quintana is second on the team with 260 kills and 363 digs, while Hatt leads the team on 531 assists.
 
Larkin Luke's blocks total increased to 92.0 on the year after recording six in the win, while Brae Denton's tally stretched to 78.0, also having six blocks against OUA. The Henderson State defense at the net showed out against the Tigers, out blocking Ouachita Baptist 13-3. As a unit, the Reddies have racked up 226.5 blocks and are averaging 2.20 per set, which both rank top of the GAC.
 
Having already locked up the 4th seed at the GAC Tournament, Henderson State has a chance to reach 20 wins this year for the first time since 2021. Under head coach Phil McDaniel, HSU has achieved 20 or more wins in three of his six seasons, including a 28-6 record in 2018 when they finished as runners-up at the GAC Tournament.
 
Henderson State won the first meeting against Southern Arkansas this season 3-0 inside the Duke Wells Center, extending its record over the Muleriders to 49-16. In the last 15 matches, HSU has bested SAU 14-1, and during this stretch, the Reddies are 5-1 in Magnolia.
 
SCOUTING SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
Southern Arkansas has fallen into a two-match skid after losing to Harding on the road 3-0. The Muleriders are 14-13 overall and 8-7 in GAC matches, which has them tied with Ouachita Baptist and East Central in fifth place.
 
The Muleriders are one of the top teams at the service line, ranking third in the conference with 165 total service aces, led by Morgan Shuster, who has provided 37 this season. When Shuster is not serving aces, she has set up the Southern Arkansas attack with a team-high 555 assists, which ranks fifth most across the league.
 
The SAU offense is spearheaded by junior outside hitters Katye Delong and Jada Hudson. Delong leads the team on 233 kills, averaging 2.68 per set, followed by Hudson, who has 183 kills on a .203 attack average. Against Harding, the pair combined for eight of the team's 17 kills over the three sets.