ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – In a match as close on the court as it was in the stat sheet, SWOSU Volleyball was unable to come up with enough points when it mattered most and it cost them. The Bulldogs fall to Henderson State, 3-1.
 
The only way this game could have gotten any closer would have been if it had gone to five sets. Each of the first three sets were decided by three points or less, and the final set was tied up at 20-20 before Henderson State pulled away at the end. 30 tied scores and 14 lead changes made for a nail biter in Arkadelphia.
 
The box score reflected this tightly contested affair. The teams were only separated by one kill (SWOSU – 53, HSU -54), one assist (SWOSU – 48, HSU – 49), one service ace (SWOSU – 5, HSU – 6), three digs (SWOSU – 79, HSU – 76), and three attack errors (SWOSU – 27, HSU – 24). The two teams also had very similar hitting percentages at .151 for SWOSU and .178 for Henderson.
 
The biggest disparity on the stat sheet may have proved to be the difference in the end. Henderson State registered 12 team blocks to the Bulldogs' four. The Reddies were active at the net all night, making it incredibly hard for the SWOSU attack to get going and it played a big part in helping them to victory.
 
Set one started strong for the Bulldogs, who jumped out to a 4-1 lead thanks to two early kills from Samantha Kuzma. It quickly got away from them however, as the Reddies found themselves with a 19-10 lead after a 12-3 scoring run gave them a huge lead. SWOSU Head Coach Josh Collins rallied his team, who managed to pull within two points of tying it back up, but fell just short and they lose the first set.
 
Second verse, same as the first for the Bulldogs. Started with a 4-1 lead, but couldn't hold it and Henderson would eventually jump out to a 13-9 advantage. It would be more of back and forth affair in this one however, with seven ties and three lead changes mostly coming with both teams in the twenties. It was all knotted up at 24-24, but unfortunately for SWOSU it was Henderson that found the final points to go up two sets to none.
 
As this team has demonstrated time and time again, they may be down but they are never out. The Bulldogs battled back from the brink in the third set. Knowing they needed a win to stay alive, SWOSU buckled up and got it done.
 
Markenzie Benoit led the way as she has done so many times this season, racking up six of her 14 total kills in the third while Samantha Kuzma brought five of her own. We were on to the fourth.
 
 SWOSU looked destined to send this match to five sets, riding a five-point scoring run early to take the lead and the momentum. Henderson State battled back as they did all night, and the teams were once again tied. This time it was 20-20 and it was anyone's ball game. The Reddies then put together their own five-point scoring run to put the game away once and for all.
 
Coach Collins' team will rue the critical errors made in this one. It seemed like the Bulldogs found a way to shoot themselves in the foot every time they started to put something together.
 
The Bulldogs move to 9-6 on the year and 4-2 in conference play. They will get the chance to immediately get back in the win column when they play Ouachita Baptist tomorrow at 4:00 pm right across the street from where they played tonight.