RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech Volleyball team heads to Searcy for their second match of the week. The Golden Suns are currently 17-6 with an 11-2 record in conference play. Tech is currently in a three-way tie for first place in the GAC standings with Oklahoma Baptist and Southwestern Oklahoma. Tech is currently 8-0 at home, 4-4 on the road and 5-2 when playing at a neutral site.

The Golden Suns are hoping to get back on their feet with a bounce-back win on the road against the Bisons after a tough 5 set road match loss in Arkadelphia against Henderson on Tuesday night. This will be the second match between Arkansas Tech and Harding this season with their last one resulting in a Tech win with a 3-0 sweep in Tucker.

The Bisons sit at 13-8 overall with a 9-4 record among conference matchups. Harding has a solid 5-2 record when playing at home this season. In their last match, the Bisons traveled to Arkadelphia where they picked up a 3-1 road win against Ouachita Baptist.

Seniors Haylee Paladini and Tymber Riley, along with junior Kaitlynn Bradley will once again be at the forefront of the offensive attack for the Golden Suns. In the last match against Henderson, Paladini, Riley, and Bradley combined for 39 kills to keep Tech in the match and help force a fifth set. Senior middle blocker Emily Ragsdale and freshman Abby Simpson should also help contribute to the offensive end. The Golden Suns offense will be paced by junior setter Brianna Merkel who has 519 assists on the season while averaging 7.41 assists per set.

On the defensive end, the dig effort will be led by senior libero Madison Grantham who has 283 total digs on the season while averaging 3.99 digs per set. Riley should also have a big impact on the defensive end to come up with crucial digs. Holding down the front of the net will be Ragsdale who leads the team in total blocks with 65 on the season. Bradley and Paladini will also have a strong defensive presence in front. The Golden Suns are currently third in blocks among all GAC teams.

The Golden Suns will face Harding tomorrow, Thursday, November 3 in Searcy. The match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start.