JACKSON, Tenn. - The Arkansas Tech Volleyball starts their weekend in Tennessee off strong with a win against Carson-Newman (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) in straight sets and a win against Union (25-21, 18-25, 25-23, 16-25, 16-14) in five sets.

In their first game against Carson-Newman, Senior outside hitter Tymber Riley led the offense with nine kills on the day. Following Riley was junior outside hitter Kaitlynn Bradley with seven total kills for the match.

The defensive effort by the Golden Suns was led by senior libero Madison Grantham with 18 digs. Granthams 18 digs pushed her season total to 102 digs. Megan Solberg also had a strong defensive day with nine digs. Senior middle blocker Emily Ragsdale lead the Golden Suns in total blocks with five. Three of her blocks were solo, with two being assisted. 

Tech opened the first set strong with an early 4-1 lead after an ace from Jamie Myrick. The Eagles shook off the early deficit however and tied it 6-6. The Golden Suns found a 5-0 run with a pair of kills from Kaitlynn Bradley and Haylee Paladini as well as a few errors by the Eagles. Tech continued to stay ahead as Carson-Newman would try and fight their way back. The Golden Suns would close the first set with three straight kills from Tymber Riley, Kaitlynn Bradley and Haylee Paladini to take set one 25-20.

The second set opened up a fierce battle with both sides not able to grab the upper hand leading a tie at 10-10. A couple of errors by the Eagles would put the Golden Suns ahead 14-11. Following another two errors from Carson-Newman and two kills from Kaitlynn Bradley and Tymber Riley would push Tech to an 18-13 lead. The Eagles fought their way back though to tie it 22-22 down the stretch in the second set. The Golden Suns would not allow a comeback attempt and take the last three points to win 25-22 in the second set.

The third and final set started off well for Tech with an early 5-2 lead after two ace's by Jamie Myrick. The Eagles weren't down yet as they forced a 5-5 tie that lead to four straight alternating rally points. A kill from Abby Simpson would finally break the stalemate and fuel a 6-0 run for Arkansas Tech ending with a kill by Tymber Riley and a 17-12 lead over Carson-Newman. The Eagles did their best to attempt a comeback, but the Golden Suns would shut the door on any comeback and take the final set 25-22.

In their second match of the day against Union, Tymber Riley once again led the Golden Suns with a dominant 21 kills on the match, which sets a new season high for the senior outside hitter. Abby Simpson also had a great offensive contribution with 15 kills. 

Madison Grantham once again shined on defense for the Golden Sun with 12 digs. Megan Solberg also had another solid match on defense with 11 digs.

The first set of the match was a back and forth between both sides. Neither side could leap out and make a big run. Tech managed to carve a 3-0 run in the middle of the set off of two kills from Abby Simpson. Tech took the win in the first set 25-21. 

The second set was a tough fight for the Golden Suns. A couple of 3-0 runs by Tech helped them try to get back in the set. However, the Lady Bulldogs would take the second set 18-25.

Arkansas Tech came into the third set with a strong 6-2 start capped off with a kill from Abby Simpson. The early lead would help keep up with the comeback attempt from Union and keep Tech in the lead. Abby Simpson closed the third set out for the Golden Suns with three straight kills to get the win.

The fourth set was another uphill climb for the Golden Suns. Tech tried their best to end the match in four, but Union defended their home court and forced a fifth and final set with a 16-25 game.

For the second time in three games, the Golden Suns played an intense fifth set. Both sides refused to lose, leading to a 14-14 tie to extend the final set. Arkansas Tech would once again come out on top in the fifth set closing out the set with an ace from Jamie Myrick to win their second match of the day 3-2.

Head Volleyball Coach Kera Dukic loved the way her team played together during their two matches today.

"I'm so proud of this team! Two great wins on the road. The first match of the day felt very intentional and experienced, a feeling I'm not sure we've felt yet this season. The second win against the host team, Union University, was a battle. I think what made me the most proud was our ability to battle together. I had to keep switching between Gracie Palmer and Brianna Merkel in the setting position and they handled it amazingly well! Fight on!"

The Golden Suns will play their final match of the weekend tomorrow Saturday, September 18 against Christian Brothers University. The match is set for a 3 p.m. start time.