ARKADELPHIA, Ark.—Southern Nazarene found themselves on the wrong end of a three game sweep (25-2-, 28-26, 25-12) as they kicked off their two-match trip to Arkadelphia with a loss at Henderson State.

This marks the second consecutive match in which the Crimson Storm (7-12, 2-8 GAC) were unable to finish sets. They kept sets one and two very close, just as they kept all three sets on Tuesday very tight, but were not able to close out either of those first two sets. The third set on Friday night would be all Henderson State (17-7, 6-5 GAC) as they used an emotional set two win to carry momentum into set three.

The Reddies led from start to finish in set one, but were given little room to breathe as the Crimson Storm kept hanging in there. Ultimately Henderson State was able to gain a little separation on their way to a 25-20 set one win.

Set two was full of dramatics as the Crimson Storm battled back from a five point deficit to tie the game at 23. They would then fend off set point three times, but issues at the service line would prove costly as back-to-back service errors with the game tied would give Henderson free opportunities to close the set. They finally did so with a Christine Uzoh kill that gave them a huge 2-0 advantage.

The set two loss proved to be too much for SNU to overcome. They never put together any offense in the third set. An early 8-0 run from the Reddies would essentially seal the match as they jumped in front 20-9 in that final set. That marked the first time in eight sets played that the Storm failed to reach at least 20 points.

Southern Nazarene's leading attackers Whitney Bowie and Sunny Batschelett continued to play well, collecting 9 and 13 kills, respectively. Both were extremely efficient with their opportunities as Batschelett hit .393, while Bowie hit .412. Bowie has now hit over .400 in four of her last five matches and is up to a .283 hitting percentage on the season, moving her into the top-10 in the GAC.

It is a quick turnaround for the Storm who will travel just across the street tomorrow afternoon to take on Ouachita Baptist. Ouachita is coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of Oklahoma Baptist on Friday night. First serve is set for 4:00 p.m. in Arkadelphia.