RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - No. 14 Arkansas Tech opens the 2018 volleyball season this weekend, as the Golden Suns compete in the Peggy Martin Challenge hosted by Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Mo.
Tech will face No. 22 Central Missouri in the season-opener on Friday, August 24, at 1 p.m., followed by a 5 p.m. match against Missouri Southern State. The Suns will then take on Drury at 9 a.m. and Truman State at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Live video is available for Arkansas Tech's first match against Central Missouri, and live statistics are available for all four matches at www.arkansastechsports.com.
Arkansas Tech is coming off a 35-1 record in 2017, as the Suns completed the first undefeated regular season in program history and won their fourth Great American Conference regular-season title and fourth GAC Tournament championship. Tech also appeared in the AVCA Top 25 rankings for the first time in program history, reaching as high as eighth.
Arkansas Tech returns 13 players from last season, including All-America selection Amanda Milnick and AVCA Division II Freshman of the Year Lexie Johnston. The Golden Suns were chosen as the favorite to win the GAC in the preseason coaches' poll.
The Suns defeated Central Missouri for the first time in program history in 2017, defeating the 15th-ranked Jennies in five sets at the Holiday Inn Express Spikefest hosted by Arkansas Tech. Tech held Central Missouri to just 48 kills and a .144 attack percentage, while the Suns recorded 67 kills on a .234 hitting percentage. Five different Golden Suns finished with at least 10 kills, while Milnick posted a triple double with 44 assists, 15 digs and 11 kills.
Arkansas Tech is 11-7 all time against Missouri Southern, including a three-set win last season in which the Suns hit .500 with just eight attack errors. Drury leads the all-time series against Arkansas Tech, 7-9, but Tech defeated the Panthers in both 2016 and 2017. Arkansas Tech has not faced Truman State since 2011, when the Suns defeated the Bulldogs in three sets.
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