Tweet #theGAC  HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Henderson State volleyball earned a spot back in the final of the GAC Championships for the first time since 2018 after winning a thrilling five-set against top-seeded Harding, 3-2, on Friday night.

HSU (21-10, 10-6) will face No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist in tomorrow's final at 3 p.m. in the Bank OZK arena.The Reddies become just the second No. 4 seed to beat the No. 1 seed at the GAC Tournament and the first four-seed to reach the finals since 2015, Southern Arkansas.

Violeta Mendoza Quintana led the HSU attack with 20 kills on a .258 attack average, while Christiane Uzoh and Larkin Luke also reached double-figure in kills with 15 and 10, respectively. Mendoza Quintana added to her totals with 19 digs for her second double-double of the tournament as well as two service aces.

Trinity Sharp and Dani Dagley led the back row of the Reddies lineup, as Sharp recorded a team-high 32 digs, followed by Dagley with 28. At the net, Uzoh and Brae Denton combined for 11 blocks and held Harding to a .162 attack average.

A slow start by the Reddies saw them trail the Lady Bisons 8-3, but HSU quickly settled in, rattling off four straight points before Mendoza slammed down back-to-back kills to give Henderson State its first lead, 12-10. After a Harding timeout, two more kills by Mendoza Quintana and another from Szybinska stretched the Reddies' advantage to 16-12.

Henderson State kept up the pressure on a 3-0 run that had back-to-back kills by Uzoh to stay in front 19-14. Luke capped off a 25-19 set win with a kill. The HSU attack hit .239, led by Mendoza Quintana, who scored six kills, while Harding mustered only a .102 attack average.

The Reddies jumped on top of the Lady Bisons early in the second set, taking a 6-3 lead. Harding battled back to tie the set at six and eventually grab a 10-8 edge. Uzoh and Mia Sanchez combined to spark an HSU 4-0 as the Reddies retook the lead, 14-12.

Three ties and two lead changes had the score locked at 17, but Mendoza rattled off three straight kills to put HSU back in front 20-17. Harding went on a late run, scoring four consecutive points and fending off an HSU set-point to tie the frame, 24-24. The Reddies secured their second set win after two HU errors, 26-24.

A fast start by Harding in the third set saw HSU trail 7-3 and eventually 14-7. They Lady Bisons extended their advantage to 17-9. A 6-0 run to extend their lead to 23-11 en route to a 25-14 set win..

Back-to-back service aces by Mendoza Quintana opened an 8-3 lead early in the fourth set. Harding cut HSU's down to one on a 4-0 run, but the Reddies stretched their edge back out to 13-8 with a pair of kills by Mendoza Quintana. Henderson State's grew as large as seven , 20-13, but a late charge by the Lady Bisons saw Harding take the lead, 23-22. HSU responded with two straight kills to get to match point 24-23, but Harding answered with three kills to win the fourth frame, 26-24.

The Reddies took three of the first four points in the decisive set. Harding took its first advantage of the frame on a 4-0 run to lead 5-3. HSU replied with two quick points to tie the set before a 3-0 run featuring killls by Szybinska and Luke led to a 9-7 Reddie lead.

HSU kept the pressure on Harding, rattling off three straight points to stretch its advantage to 12-8, forcing a HU timeout. Out of the break, Mendoza Quintana and Uzoh each slammed down a kill, and a Harding attack error would seal a 15-10 win.