ARKADELPHIA, Ark. — Melaina Haines recorded a career-high 26 kills and Olivia Wiedower dished out a career-high 62 assists, but the Harding volleyball team dropped a hard-fought five-set battle to Henderson State, 3-2 (25-15, 23-25, 25-19, 14-25, 15-17), on Thursday night at the Duke Wells Center.
Harding (12-2, 2-1 GAC) dropped its first Great American Conference match of the season despite out-killing the Reddies 70-55 and amassing 105 digs on defense. Henderson State improved to 8-7 overall and 2-1 in GAC play.
Haines added 15 digs and three service aces to complete a double-double. Philomina Klotz posted 14 kills on a .308 hitting percentage, while Addie Worley added 11 kills and 10 digs.
Defensively, libero Mallory Weyand tied a career-high with 26 digs, while Maddie Burrough chipped in 18 digs.
The Lady Bisons set the tone early in the opening set, pulling away with a 9-1 run midway through the frame before Klotz sealed a dominant 25-15 victory. Henderson State responded in set two, holding off a late Harding surge to edge the Lady Bisons 25-23 and level the match.
Harding answered back in set three and capitalized on seven Reddie errors to claim a 25-19 win and take a 2-1 match lead. However, Henderson State caught fire in the fourth set, swinging at a .367 clip to force a deciding fifth set with a 25-14 win.
The final frame proved to be a back-and-forth thriller featuring multiple lead changes. Harding led late, but the Reddies rallied behind critical late net play, using back-to-back points to break a 15-15 tie and claim the set 17-15.
Kelis Battles led Henderson State with 15 kills and 23 digs, while Karsen Hart added 14 kills on a .444 hitting percentage. Reddie libero Kaylon Partain collected 43 digs to anchor the home defense.
Harding returns to action on Tuesday, Sept. 22, when the Lady Bisons return home to host Southern Arkansas in Great American Conference action at the Rhodes-Reaves Field House.
