FORT SMITH, Ark. - After falling behind by two sets early, Henderson State rallied to win the third against Missouri Western State on Friday, but could not come all the way back, as the Griffons defeated the Reddies 3-1(16-25, 13-25, 25-20, 13-25) at the Carr Racop Invitational.
SET ONE: The opening set was tight in the early going, but with the Reddies trailing 14-11, Missouri Western began to pull away, finishing the set on an 11-6 run to take it 25-16 and go up 1-0 in the match.
SET TWO: The Griffons jumped on Henderson from the start in the second set, quickly opening up a 9-2 lead on the Reddies. HSU cut the lead to 12-6, but Missouri Western exploded for another big run, winning 11 of the next 13 points to stretch its lead out to a commanding 23-8 advantage. The Reddies won four of the next five, but the deficit was too deep to climb out of, as the Griffons took a 2-0 lead with a 25-13 set win.
SET THREE: With its back against the wall, Henderson gave Missouri Western its best shot in the third frame, streaking out to an early 10-6 lead. The Griffons climbed back within 14-12, but the Reddies answered with a 7-2 stretch to take a 21-14 advantage. MWSU made things interesting, closing the gap to 22-19 with a late 5-1 run, but Henderson took three of the next four to close it out and stay alive with a 25-20 third set victory. Courtney Bolf led the Reddies with three kills in the period. Henderson registered an attack percentage of .278 in the win, its highest of any set in the match.
SET FOUR: After letting the Reddies fight their way back into the match, MWSU came out focused in the fourth and almost instantly put the pressure back on Henderson by racing out to a commanding 18-4 advantage. The Reddies stopped the bleeding and began to trade points with the Griffons, but could not get the big run they needed and ultimately fell 25-13, as MWSU took the match, 3-1.
Game Notes: Sariah Boney finished with a double-double, notching 17 assists and 13 digs. Bolf led Henderson with 16 digs and nine kills, while Zuzana Ondruskova finished with eight kills and Violet Williams finished with seven. Missouri Western had a .265 attack percentage as a team while holding the Reddies to a percentage of just .099. The loss drops Henderson to 5-4 on the year.
Up Next: The Reddies play again this afternoon at 2 p.m. against Newman at the Carr Racop Invitational in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
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