ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech Golden Suns started their season off in sweeping fashion, taking down the Ouachita Baptist Tigers in straight sets (25-21, 25-19, 25-19) in Arkadelphia.
 
Power from the offense and aggressive serving led the Golden Suns to victory as the team hit .267 for the match and added 10 aces from the service line. Seniors Mackenzie Eford and Rilie Vote led the Golden Suns with nine kills apiece and Eford dropped in five aces against the Tigers.
 
The first set proved to be the closest as neither team led by more than two points until an Eford ace put Arkansas Tech up 16-13. A kill from Vote forced Ouachita to call a timeout, down 23-19 before two kills from Eford sealed the first set victory, 25-21.
 
In the second set, the Golden Suns jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead after an ace from Maggie Schlueter. Another kill from Vote extended the lead to 7, 16-9 and the Golden Suns finished the second set, 25-19.
 
The final set looked a lot like the second with the Golden Suns using a 6-0 run to go up 11-4. The Tigers tried to make a push at the end, using a 4-0 run to pull within 5, 23-18 but a kill from Eford and an attack error from the Tigers gave the Golden Suns the set, 25-19 and the match 3-0.
 
Eford led the way with a .500 hitting clip and Vote followed closely behind, hitting .421 for the match. Setter Brianna Merkel dished out 26 assists and led the team with 12 digs for her first double-double of the season.  Libero Madison Grantham dug up 10 shots of her own.
 
The Golden Suns will be back in action against Arkansas-Monticello next Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. in Tucker Coliseum