SEARCY, Ark. - With a 20-18 win in the fifth set, No. 9 Arkansas Tech defeated Harding, 3-2, on Tuesday to win the Great American Conference regular-season championship. The title is the third regular-season championship over the past four seasons for the Golden Suns, and it is their fourth since the conference formed in 2011. 

UP NEXT

• Arkansas Tech (31-0, 15-0 GAC) returns home for the final match of the regular season, as the Golden Suns host Ouachita on Thursday, Nov. 9. The senior-night match is scheduled for 6 p.m.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Harding (24-5, 12-3 GAC) took the first point of the match and held a lead for much of the first set, until a 5-0 run that featured three aces by Amanda Milnick put Tech ahead, 16-15. 
• The final 20 points of the first set featured six ties and four lead changes, but Arkansas Tech took four of the final five points to win the set, 27-25, ending the game on Milnick's fourth service ace.
• Tech took the first lead of the second set on a kill by Allie Anderson, but the Lady Bisons later used a 7-3 run to take a 10-8 advantage.
• Despite Arkansas Tech tying the score six times after Harding's run, the Golden Suns were never allowed to take back the lead. The Lady Bisons won the second set, 25-21, behind a match-high .440 hitting percentage.
• The Golden Suns scored 14 of the final 18 points in the third set to win, 25-15, and take a 2-1 lead in the match. Tech's defense limited Harding to just nine kills and a .179 attack percentage, while the Suns' offense committed a match-low four attack errors.
• After dropping the third set, Harding responded with a fourth set in which the Lady Bisons posted a team-high 17 kills. The Golden Suns were held to just nine kills and forced to commit seven attack errors.
• The final set of the match featured nine ties and six lead changes. Tech took an early, 4-1, advantage to force a Harding timeout, but the Lady Bisons eventually tied the score, 8-8, with four straight points. 
• The Golden Suns then took another three-point lead at 13-10, but Harding once again answered with four consecutive points to take a 14-13 lead. After trading points back-and-forth, Harding took a 17-16 lead for its third match-point of the set. 
• Lexie Johnston saved the Suns from their first loss of the season with her 21st kill of the match to even the score, 17-17, and Milnick ended the match and Harding's hopes of an upset soon after with her fifth ace.

NOTABLES

• With the victory, Arkansas Tech moves to three matches ahead of Harding, clinching the outright regular-season conference championship. The Suns also secure their 31st consecutive victory.
• Milnick recorded her third triple-double of the season and fourth of her career, tallying season-highs with 51 assists and 11 kills, to go along with 15 digs. Eshnaur added her third double-double of the season with 13 digs and 11 kills. 
• Johnston's match-high 21 kills are the most in her career as a Golden Sun, and she also led all players with a .500 attack percentage. Greer Rogers followed with 11 kills and a .409 hitting percentage, while Madison Nagel tied a season-high with 22 digs. 
• Harding finished the match with a .290 attack percentage, marking the first time this season that Arkansas Tech has allowed its opponents to have a higher hitting percentage. The Suns recorded a season-high 73 kills, however, and finished with eight service aces while allowing the Lady Bisons just one.

HEAD COACH KRISTY BAYER SAYS

• "I am extremely proud of the way we finished tonight. Offensively, we struggled at times. Our middles stepped up big time and terminated for us. Lexie Johnston was unstoppable."
• "Amanda Milnick worked very hard tonight. She led us to victory. She continues to amaze me with her athletic ability, decision making and performance under pressure."
• "A huge thank you to all the fans who made the trip to Searcy. We loved celebrating our conference championship with them. It means a lot to us that such a large group made the trip to cheer us on."