RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – After a three-match break from conference play, the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns return to the Great American Conference on Friday at 6 p.m. to face Southeastern Oklahoma State for "Green and Gold Night." Tech then hosts East Central on Saturday at 2 p.m. Both matches will be in Tucker Coliseum.
 
Fans are encouraged to bring items for children's lunches to both the Friday and Saturday matches, to help River Valley Food 4 Kids as part of Tech's Fight On Against Childhood Hunger initiative.
 
The Golden Suns (12-7, 4-1 GAC) are currently tied with Southern Nazarene and Oklahoma Baptist for the top spot in the GAC, while Southeastern Oklahoma is tied for ninth and East Central sits in a tie for fourth.
 
The Savage Storm (8-9, 1-4 GAC) ended a four-game losing streak on Saturday, defeating Northwestern Oklahoma State, 3-0, to earn their first conference victory. Southeastern sits in fourth in assists per set (11.84) and fifth in team hitting percentage (.187).
 
Individually, Caitlin Cosby leads the Savage Storm defense with 5.44 digs per set, 24^th best in Division II. Karine Cavalcante leads Southeastern in kills per set (2.97), followed by Abby Jameson (2.91). Alissa Benson ranks fourth in the GAC with 9.75 assists per set.
 
East Central (5-12, 3-2 GAC) finished last week with two wins and two losses in GAC play, highlighted by a 3-2 win over Oklahoma Baptist. The Tigers dropped their last match, however, in three sets to Southwestern Oklahoma.
 
ECU travels to Harding on Friday before making the trip to Russellville on Saturday. The Tigers are sixth in the GAC in opponent hitting percentage (.184) and 12^th with a .119 team hitting percentage. In GAC matches only, Madyson Gill leads ECU and ranks sixth in the GAC with 3.28 kills per set.
 
Tech ranks first in the conference in kills per set (13.30), while the Golden Suns are second in assists per set (12.26) and opponent hitting percentage (.157). In conference matches only, Tech is first in opponent hitting percentage, assists per set and kills per set.
 
Hunter Eshnaur heads Tech's offense, ranking third in the GAC in points per set (4.05) and fourth with 3.52 kills per set. Lauren Rodemers maintains a .349 hitting percentage, good for second in the GAC and 42^nd in Division II, while Rodemers is also fourth in the conference with 0.88 blocks per set. Madison Nagel anchors the defense, tallying a GAC-best 322 digs on the season, which ranks 22^nd in Division II.  
 
Tech is coming off four consecutive victories, in which the Golden Suns won all matches, 3-0. The Golden Suns are 10-2 all-time against the Savage Storm and 14-1 all-time against East Central. Live stats and video will be available for both matches and can be found at www.arkansastechsports.com.