GAME DAY INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS 6-4 (6-4 GAC)	HENDERSON STATE REDDIES 6-5 (5-5 GAC)
Thursday, April 8  | 6 p.m.  Russellville, Ark. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

FIRST SERVE
After a week off to prepare, the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns open their Great American Conference championship tournament in the quarterfinal round against Henderson State on April 8. First serve is slated for 6 p.m. in Tucker Coliseum.

The Golden Suns finished the regular season with a 6-4 overall record in GAC play with season sweeps over Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas-Monticello. Three Golden Suns earned All-GAC recognition following the regular season. Mackenzie Eford was a unanimous first-team All-GAC selection after leading the team with 97 kills and 3.08 points per set. Madison Grantham earned a spot on the All-GAC honorable mention after leading the Golden Suns in digs in every match this season and posting 20 or more digs in eight matches. Brianna Merkel joined Grantham on the honorable mention squad after dishing out a team-high 304 assists and recording sic double-doubles.

The two teams split the regular season, each winning at home in five sets. The Golden Suns took down the Reddies on Feb. 9 in Tucker Coliseum and the Reddies took the second meeting in Arkadelphia on March 26.

TECH TIDBITS
The Golden Suns enter the tournament after taking the then ranked No. 7 Harding Lady Bisons to five sets. Eford led the Golden Suns with 12 kills, hitting .400 for the match. Haylee Paladini put down 12 kills and Emily Ragsdale recorded eight of her own. Grantham picked up 21 digs while Emily Acker and Merkel dished out 20 assists apiece.

Paladini leads the team, averaging 2.47 kills per set, followed by Eford with 2.43, Vote with 2.38 and Addison Masters with 2.24 kills per set. Merkel and Acker split time directing the offense and average 7.60 and 4.59 assists per set respectively. Grantham has anchored the defense all season, averaging 5.63 digs per set.
 
SCOUTING THE REDDIES
The Reddies enter the game with a 5-5 record in GAC play and took down Southern Arkansas in four sets to advance to quarterfinal round against the Golden Suns. SAU took the first set before the Reddies took the next three, led by Mya Robinson with 15 kills and Makenzie Thoman with 17 digs.

Robinson led the team with 3.16 kills per set this season, followed by Violeta Mendoza Quintana with 2.89 kills per set. Abby Blackburn and Taylor Scalzi directed the offense and averaged 5.18 and 3.73 assists per set. Makenzie Thoman earned GAC Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 5.76 digs per set.