RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. — After dispatching rival Harding in three sets Tuesday, the Arkansas Tech women's volleyball team makes its second road trip of the Great American Conference season, heading south to take on Ouachita Baptist Thursday night.

The Golden Suns (8-5, 2-0 GAC) already own a nonconference victory over the Tigers (7-3, 2-0 GAC), defeating them in straight sets in the final match of the Arkansas Tech Tournament nearly two weeks ago. That was the 15th consecutive victory in the series by the Suns, during which they have only dropped three total sets.

Tech and OBU are one and two in nearly every team category in the GAC. The Suns are first in assists and kills per set, ahead of the second-place Tigers by mere tenths. OBU returns the favor, leading the league with an impressive .247 hitting percentage, the only team ahead of Tech's .198 mark. The Suns are also second in the conference with 1.86 blocks per set, just ahead of the Tigers' 1.81.

The Suns, who are coming off a tougher match than the 3-0 score might suggest against Harding, are led by a pair of freshmen in setter Sarita Stegall and outside hitter Hunter Eshnaur. Stegall is seventh in the GAC with 8.76 assists per set — and is averaging 10.73 over the past seven matches — while also putting up 2.28 digs, 0.52 kills and eight total blocks. Eshnaur leads the team in kills and points, with her 3.70 kills per set fifth in the conference and 4.10 points fourth. She also averages 2.39 digs and 0.41 blocks, and has posted seven aces.

Senior Katie Huff is also stepping up, leading the team with a .269 hitting percentage, which is the second-best mark in the GAC, and 1.04 blocks per set. She's second on the team with 2.57 kills per set and has pitched in with 10 aces, and is hitting .306 over her last seven matches and .381 in her last two. Sophomore McCall Wilkins helps provide a solid one-two-punch in the middle, putting up 2.09 kills and 0.59 blocks per set while hitting .232 on the season.

Junior Kaylee Konsella is third on the squad with 2.37 kills and 2.79 points per set, and is second with a .258 hitting percentage and third at 0.54 blocks per set. Sophomore Madison Nagel chips in with 5.43 digs per set, the second-best number in the league, and has a team-high 14 aces. Back row mates Kaci Jackson (2.72) and Colleen Wooten (1.55) combine for better than four more digs per set.

The Tigers feature the two most accurate hitters in the conference entering the match. Abby Pickett is hitting .376 and averaging 4.23 kills per set, both top numbers in the league, with Kori Bullard hitting .356 with 3.19 kills. The third member of the front row can do some damage as well, with Stephanie Pollnow collecting 2.58 kills per set while hitting .279. Setter Stormi Leonard leads the league with 11.55 assists per set, and Caitlin Cantrell is third, averaging 0.94 blocks, not far ahead of Bullard's 0.71 and Pollnow's 0.68.

In the first meeting Sept. 12, Tech took three straight sets by scores of 25-20, 25-23 and 25-18. Eshnaur had 12 kills and 10 digs, while Huff posted 10 kills on .438 hitting, two blocks, three digs and three aces. Wilkins added eight kills on .429 hitting with two more blocks, and Stegall dished out 34 assists. Bullard and Pickett each turned in nine kills, while Leonard posted just 23 assists but added five kills on .556 hitting.

Live statistics for the match will be available at www.arkansastechsports.com