A&M-Commerce 3, Henderson State 0
The Field House • Commerce, Texas
Records: A&M-Commerce (9-2); Henderson State (1-7)
Up Next: at Cameron • Friday, September 27 • Lawton, Okla.

COMMERCE, Texas – A&M-Commerce responded to a tough loss on Tuesday in big way Thursday evening, routing Henderson State 25-12, 25-10, 25-11 at the Field House. The Lions improve to 9-2 on the season and 1-1 on its home court.

A&M-Commerce had an incredibly strong offensive showing on the night, hitting .488 for the match against Henderson State as the Lions recorded 45 kills on 84 attempts with just four hitting errors. The Lady Reddies posted a .115 hitting percentage in comparison.

Senior Kayla Bond and junior Breanne Snyder led a balanced A&M-Commerce offensive attack which saw six players record at least three kills. Both Bond and Snyder finished with 10 kills each as Bond set a new career-best by hitting .600 for the night, recording just one error on 15 attempts.

Snyder was just as potent, hitting .409 while also recording just one error on 22 attempts. Junior Amy Davault notched nine kills while hitting .412 with Jordan Neal knocking down six kills with no errors, hitting .667 while dishing out 32 assists.

Freshman Delanee Clark came off the bench to record four kills on five attempts for A&M-Commerce while senior Ciara Holmes added three kills. The Lions were also incredibly efficient on the serve, recording 12 aces on the night, led by three from freshman Li'i Etimani and two each from Davault, Neal, Snyder and Michaela Spicer.

With a raucous crowd of 331 on hand, the outcome of Thursday's match was never in serious doubt as the Lions had their way with the Lady Reddies. A&M-Commerce never trailed for the duration of the match and there was just one tie, coming early in the third set.

In the first, A&M-Commerce raced out to an early 10-2 lead, thanks to a 6-0 run spurred on by some incredible serves from Etimani. The Lions would remain well in control for the duration but did see Henderson State pull to within five at 17-12. But with Etimani serving once again, the Lions notched the final eight points of the set, which was capped by  an ace from the freshman as A&M-Commerce took the opener 25-12.

That momentum carried over into the second as the Lions raced out to a 6-1 lead, then pushed that advantage to as many as 10 at 16-6 off a 5-0 run. Leading 17-9, A&M-Commerce outscored Henderson State 8-1 down the stretch, capped by a pair of kills from Snyder to take the second 25-10 and a commanding 2-0 lead.

After intermission, the Lions were intent on finishing out what they had started, building an early 10-4 lead in the third. Henderson State would pull to within four at 12-8, and then five at 15-10, but A&M-Commerce had no intention of relinquishing the lead, outscoring the Lady Reddies 10-1 down the home stretch to secure the victory with a 25-11 third set decision.

With the victory at the Field House, A&M-Commerce continues to trim the deficit in the all-time series, one which Henderson State still leads 23-18. But the Lions have been dominant in recent years, winning six-straight and eight of the last nine against the Lady Reddies as Case improves to 5-1 all-time against Henderson State.

After playing 11 matches in just over two weeks, A&M-Commerce will now have a little time to regroup and prepare for the grueling Lone Star Conference schedule, which gets underway next Friday, September 27th when the Lions travel to Lawton, Okla., to take on Cameron.