MAGNOLIA, Ark. – Henderson State traveled to Magnolia, Arkansas for the second GAC matchup of the season tonight. They faced off against the Muleriders of Southern Arkansas, and earned their first GAC win of the season, defeating SAU 3-0.
Offensively,
Kelis Battles led the Reddies, recording 16 kills on the night. Both
Melia Smith and
Karsen Hart each supplied six on the night.
Tyhia Mack and
Alyssa Lindeman were the main distributers today, recording 17 and 13 assists respectively. The Reddies were excellent defensively, as three separate players recorded ten or more digs.
Kaylon Partain led the way with 21 digs, while Battles and
Berkeley Berry had 16 and 11 digs respectively. At the net, the Reddies were dominant, recording 11 total blocks as a team, with five blocks coming from
Cassidi Campbell.
Match Recap
The first set opened with a back-and-forth affair, with both teams exchanging points early, until a 4-0 run by the Reddies gave Henderson a 10-7 lead, and Southern Arkansas took a timeout. The Muleriders struck back, tying the set up 11-11 after a 3-0 run of their own. Another 4-0 run by the Reddies pushed them ahead 16-14, but the Muleriders stayed in it, pulling even again at 17-17. Henderson pushed ahead with two kills by
Karsen Hart to lead 21-19. Southern Arkansas continued to fight, but the Reddies stood firm, preventing the Muleriders from tying it, and won the set 25-22.
The second set opened with Henderson taking a quick 5-1 lead, using two straight kills by Battles. The Muleriders managed to swing back however, putting up a 3-0 run to pull the score to 5-4 before the Reddies halted their run. Henderson kept pushing ahead, while Southern Arkansas kept pace, leaving the score at 11-9. Eventually, a 3-0 run by the Reddies shot their lead to 14-10 off another two straight kills by Battles. Both teams continued to fight, with the Reddies managing a small lead, and held an 18-14 late in the set. Southern Arkansas once again pulled within two, and Henderson took a timeout. Henderson held them from tying it, and a 3-0 run put their lead to 21-17. While Southern Arkansas continued to fight, the Reddies were able to pull the score to 24-21. The Muleriders scored two unanswered points to put the score within one and forced Henderson to take their second timeout. That was all the Reddies needed as Battles secured the set with a kill, 25-23.
In the third set, Henderson maintained their momentum, using a 4-0 run to capture a 6-1 lead and forced an early timeout by the Muleriders. This slowed down the Reddies, as Southern Arkansas climbed back to set the score to 7-4, and eventually pushed to within one, trailing 9-8. Henderson was able to respond, and a service ace by Mack and several errors gave the Reddies a 15-10 lead, and Southern Arkansas took a timeout. While the Muleriders gave a valiant effort, the Reddies were pushing aggressively and kept extending their lead. Battles supplied a kill and an ace to put Henderson up 21-12. A 3-0 run by the Muleriders narrowed the lead, but Henderson kept pushing, holding a 23-18 lead late. While Henderson brought it to match point, Southern Arkansas kept it close, bringing the score to 24-21, before Battles ended the set and match 25-21.
Up Next -
The Reddies will host their first home GAC match up of the season this Thursday, September 17th against the Harding Bisons. The match is scheduled for 6:30 P.M in the Duke Wells Center.
