BETHANY, Okla. – The Golden Suns won their 26^th consecutive match on Friday, tying the Arkansas Tech volleyball record for consecutive wins. Tech defeated Southern Nazarene, 3-1 (25-19, 20-25, 25-18, 25-14), behind 16 kills from Hunter Eshnaur.
 
UP NEXT

• Arkansas Tech (26-0, 11-0 GAC) will break from conference play for one match, as the Suns travel Conway on Monday, Oct. 23, to take on Central Baptist. The match is scheduled for 6 p.m.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Golden Suns opened the match with a 6-1 run, and Tech held the same lead throughout the first set. Eshnaur led all players with seven kills in the set, as Tech hit .303 as a team.
• Southern Nazarene (11-12, 6-4 GAC) had success on offense in the second set, hitting .250 with 14 kills. The Crimson Storm also stepped up defensively, forcing Tech to hit just .108 with a match-high seven attack errors.
• Tech responded with its best offensive set of the match in the third game, as the Golden Suns committed just three errors. Allie Anderson, Lexie Johnston and Eshnaur combined for 13 of the team's 17 kills.
• In the final set, Arkansas Tech dominated on both sides of the ball. The Suns hit .419 with a match-high 19 kills, while the Storm was limited to just six kills and a .071 hitting percentage. Meredith Darnell led the defense with five digs in the set.
• For the match, Arkansas Tech posted a .306 attack percentage with 63 kills, the most in a conference match this season.

 
NOTABLES

• Arkansas Tech remains atop the GAC standings. With the victory over Oklahoma Baptist on Thursday, the Golden Suns are also the first team to secure a spot in the GAC Championships on Nov. 16-18.
• Tech is now just one win shy of breaking the 17-year old record for consecutive wins, set by the Golden Suns in 2000.
• Eshnaur's 16 kills are the most for her in a conference match this season, and she added nine digs and four assists. Johnston followed with 13 kills and a match-high .524 attack percentage.
• Anderson tallied 12 kills in the victory, while Amanda Milnick recorded 42 assists, 12 digs and eight kills for her ninth double-double of the season.

HEAD COACH KRISTY BAYER SAYS

• "I was pleased with the way that we responded in the third set. We struggled in the second set. Instead of folding, we corrected mistakes, made changes, and gained control of the rest of the match."
• "Lexie Johnston did a great job of putting the ball away. She was hard to stop today."
• "Kenzie Dozier came in in the middle of the match and made some smart plays. It is a difficult situation to be in, and she performed at a high level."
• "SNU played us tough. It was a battle, and it was good to be challenged like that."