Box Score HOT SPRINGS, Ark. – Trailing 11-4 in the fifth set with Southern Nazarene needing just four points to close out the match, the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns staged a rally for the ages, closing the match on an 11-2 run to take a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Crimson Storm in the championship match of the 2014 Great American Conference Volleyball Championship on Saturday in Hot Springs.

With the win, the Golden Suns clinch an automatic berth in the 2014 NCAA Division II volleyball championship. The sites and matchups will be announced Sunday evening. Arkansas Tech will enter NCAA tournament play on a 21-match winning streak.

"It was unbelievable for our team's mental toughness to come back in that fifth set," said Golden Suns head coach Kristy Bayer. "It's a true testament to the leadership and the mental toughness we have, to be down as much as we were and to come back. We never gave up. We are not used to being challenged as much, and being able to come back mentally after being down 2-1, I'm proud of the way the girls played."

The Golden Suns won the opening set 25-18, but Southern Nazarene came back to win sets two and three 25-19 and 25-17.

The fourth set provided a preview of things to come, as the two teams battled down to the wire. SNU claimed a late 22-21 lead but Tech strung together back-to-back points to pull ahead 23-22. The Crimson Storm knotted the match at 23-23 after a kill by Taylor Jacobs, putting SNU within two points of claiming the tournament crown, but a kill by McCall Wilkins gave the Golden Suns set point. An attack error by SNU gave the Golden Suns a narrow 25-23 win in the fourth set, knotting the match at two sets apiece.

After Tech scored the first two points of the fifth set, SNU reeled off five consecutive points to take an early 5-2 lead. Tech was able to cut its deficit to 8-4 after a kill by Wilkins, but the Crimson Storm put together three points in a row to take a commanding 11-4 lead, needing just four more points to close out the match.

An attack error put the serve back to Arkansas Tech, and Kaylee Konsella served six consecutive points to tie the match at 11-11. SNU stopped the run to edge ahead, 12-11 after a kill by Lexie Matthews, but back-to-back kills by Katie Huff put the Golden Suns ahead 13-12, and the Golden Suns set up match point after a kill by Sarah Bennett on the following play.

Leading 14-12, a service error put the serve back in the Crimson Storm's court, but Bennett picked up the decisive kill to give the Golden Suns the improbable victory.
Madison Nagel was tabbed as the tournament's Most Valuable Player after closing play with a 25-dig performance, while Huff led the way offensively with 18 kills, adding five blocks in the winning effort. Emily Todd (14 kills) and Konsella (13 kills) were also in double figures in kills, while Sierra Nighswonger dished out 59 assists. Todd added 16 digs, while Kaci Jackson added 12.

Konsella and Wilkins also assisted on six blocks as Arkansas Tech turned in a 12-block performance. The Golden Suns had six service aces, with three coming from Nighswonger and two coming from Nagel.

For their efforts during the championship, Nighswonger and Konsella joined Nagel on the all-tournament team.