WEATHERFORD, Okla. - Hunter Eshnaur recorded a double-double with a career-high 24 kills and 13 digs, but the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns volleyball team (13-8, 6-3 Great American Conference) was unable to overcome the hot hitting of Southwestern Oklahoma State (15-4, 8-1 GAC), falling 3-2 to the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.
UP NEXT
- Arkansas Tech returns to Tucker Coliseum on Friday, Oct. 12, for a 6 p.m. contest against Oklahoma Baptist. Live statistics and video are available at www.arkansastechsports.com.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Both teams went back-and-fourth in the begging of the opening set, with neither team gaining an advantage as the score was tied at 7-7
- Southwestern Oklahoma took the lead with a 3-0 run to put the score at 10-7.
- Tech put together a 7-2 run, capped by a Eshnaur kill to give the Golden Suns a 14-12 lead.
- The Suns and the Bulldogs battled over the next points, resulting in a tie at 20-20. SWOSU scored five of the final seven points to take the first set 25-20.
- The Golden Suns controlled the second set on both offense and defense, hitting .292 with match-high 18 kills, while limiting Southwestern to just ten kills and a .163 attack percentage.
- Tech used a 5-0 run midway through the set to take a 18-11 lead. SWOSU rallied to tie the game up at 20-20, however the Suns scored the final four points of the set and a block by Mackenzie Eford and Tabitha Spray gave Tech its first set of the match 25-20.
- SWOSU jumped out to a 13-4 lead in the third set. Tech went on a 7-1 run, highlighted by an Eshnaur kill to put the score at 14-11.
- The Bulldogs extended their lead to 22-15 and score the final three points of the set to take a 2-1 advantage in the match.
- Arkansas Tech broke a 7-7 tie in the third set after going on a 3-0 run to take a 10-7 lead.
- SWOSU answered with an 12-5 run to take an 19-15 advantage. The Golden Suns rallied by scoring four straight points highlighted by a kill from Spray to knot the score up at 19-19.
- Southwestern took a 22-20 lead, but relinquished that lead after Tech scored five of the next seven points to force a set point at 25-24 and later took the set after Spray delivered a kill to give the Golden Suns a 27-25 win in the fourth set.
- Tech raced out to a 5-1 lead in the final set, but SWOSU answered with an 8-1 run of their own to take a 9-6 lead.
- The Golden Suns trimmed Southwestern's lead to 11-9, but the Bulldogs closed out the set with a 4-2 run to take the match.
NOTABLES
- Eshaur notched her sixth double-double of the season with a career-high 24 kills and 13 digs. Emily Acker joined Eshnaur as she recorded a double-double of her own with 49 assists and 14 digs.
- Allie Anderson and Spray both recorded double-digit kills with 13 apiece.
- Meredith Darnell notched a season-high 29 digs, while Brittany Melcher added 15 and Madison Grantham added 13.
- SWOSU outhit Tech .239 to .209.
- The Golden Suns recorded a season-high 68 kills and 60 assists in the loss.
- Both teams had seven blocks and seven service aces.
-FIGHTON-