SAN ANGELO, Texas – The Henderson State volleyball team goes 1-1 on the final day of the Kathleen Brasfield Invitational and ends the tournament 2-2. HSU started the day with a 3-2 defeat to UT Permian Basin before taking down Southwest (N.M.) in straight sets.

Violeta Mendoza Quintana and Christiane Uzoh both earned spots on the All-Tournament team for their performances over the four matches. Mendoza Quintana recorded 38 kills and 44 digs across 13 sets, while Uzoh had 29 kills and 11.0 total blocks.
 
In the first match, Mendoza Quintana paced the team with 19 kills and 19 digs against UT Permian Basin for her first double-double of the season. Larkin Luke and Christiane Uzoh led the defense at the net with seven and six total blocks, respectively. Against Southwest (N.M.), Mia Sanchez and Brae Denton led the attack with six kills each. Denton hit an impressive 1.000, while the team finished with an attack percentage of .326.
 
MATCH ONE: UT PERMIAN BASIN 3, HENDERSON STATE 2
 
SET ONE
The Reddies found themselves down early to the Falcons, 5-2, but a 4-1 run capped off by a service ace by Nathalie Van tied the set 6-6. Two kills by Mendoza Quintana powered HSU ahead, 12-11, giving the team its first edge since being up 2-1. Henderson added to its advantage on the back of two blocks by Luke, with Jagoda Szybinska assisting one, 20-16.
 
The final 11 points of the frame saw four ties and three different lead changes. A kill by Mendoza Quintana brought HSU to match point at 25-24 before Uzoh put the finishing touches on a 26-24 win with the final kill.  
 
SET TWO
HSU and UTPB traded points till the score was locked at eight all. From there, the Falcons went on a 4-0 run with three kills and an HSU attack error. The two sides went back and forth, exchanging points and lead changes.

UT Permian Basin pushed ahead after being deadlocked at 15-15 on a 3-0 run and later had another 3-0 run to set up a 24-18 advantage. UTPB finished off the set with a kill after two straight points by HSU, 25-20.
 
SET THREE
HSU struggled to find its footing in the opening exchanges of the third frame and found themselves behind 11-3. The Falcons ended the set on a 6-2 run to win 25-8.
 
SET FOUR
Needing to win the frame to stay alive in the match, HSU was locked in a tie with UTPB 10-10. Three kills by Jacey Tupper and a kill from Mendoza Quintana put the Reddies ahead 15-14 and forced UTPB to use a timeout. The Falcons regrouped after the break, stringing together a 4-0 run to go ahead.
 
After withstanding UT Permian Basin's flurry of attacks, HSU grabbed the lead again, 20-19, and added to it with kills from Uzoh and Sanchez, 24-21. The Falcons rattled off four straight points, forcing Henderson to use a timeout. The Reddies scored the final three points out of the break, capped off by a block from Brae Denton, 27-25.
 
SET FIVE
With 15 points needed to win the set and match, the Falcons jumped ahead 5-2, which led to a timeout from head coach Phil McDaniel. Henderson put together a 3-0 run after the break, tying the set at 5-5 and later 8-8.
 
UTBP held a two-point advantage heading into the match point, 14-12, and Henderson fought off three different match points before a kill and attack error gave the Falcons a 17-15 victory.
 
MATCH TWO: HENDERSON STATE 3, SOUTHWEST (N.M.) 0
 
SET ONE
The Lady Mustangs took the early lead, but the Reddies responded with two kills and a USW attack error to tie the set 3-3 before back-to-back service aces helped HSU to an 11-7 lead. It was all Henderson after that, as the team went on a 12-0 run that included two kills from Uzoh, Sanchez and Denton to win the set 25-9. The Reddies attack had 14 kills on 21 attacks with just one error for an attack average of .619.

SET TWO
It was back-and-forth during the second set, as the two sides exchanged points early. Kills by Cassidi Campbell and Sanchez gave Henderson the breakthrough it was looking for, taking the lead 12-6. The Lady Mustangs cut the Reddies' advantage to three after a 4-1 run, but HSU responded with four consecutive points to pull ahead 21-13. Skye Johns capped off another dominant set for Henderson with the final two kills, 25-16.
 
SET THREE
Henderson kept up its strong offensive production, jumping out to a 5-2 lead that featured kills from Campbell, Szybinska and Sanchez. HSU did not allow the Lady Mustangs to close the gap, as the team held a four to five-point margin over USW. The Reddies closed out the final set of the match on a 9-0 run that had six attack errors by Southwest and two points from Emma Parsons.

Henderson State (2-2, 0-0) returns to the Duke Wells Center on Sept. 7-9 for the Bettye Wallace Invitational. The Reddies will face West Alabama at 2:30 p.m. and Southwest Baptist at 6:30 p.m. in the first round of matches on Thursday, Sept. 7.