RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech Volleyball team will travel to Jackson, Tenn. to participate in the Union Invitational which will be held on Friday, September 17-18. The Golden Suns will face three opponents across both days of the event.
Arkansas Tech enters this weekend with a 4-3 overall record and after earning the win in their home opener on Tuesday against Arkansas-Monticello, they currently sit 1-0 in conference play.
Senior middle blocker Emily Ragsdale has had a great start to the 2021 season for the Golden Suns, already passing her season high in kills, which currently sits at 65. Ragsdale also had a stellar 10 kill 11 block double-double in the match against Midwestern State.
Madison Grantham is having another successful defensive effort for the Golden Suns so far this season. In the last match, the home opener against Arkansas-Monticello, Grantham contributed her season high in digs at 19 and is currently averaging 3.23 digs per set.
Carson-Newman will be the first opponent Tech will be against. The Eagles went 7-4 overall and 6-3 in conference play during the 2020 season, which was shortened due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Currently, Carson-Newman sits at 3-4 on the season with their last match resulting in a win against Lincoln Memorial. This will be the first time in program history the Golden Suns have faced the Eagles. The match is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. Friday afternoon.
Following the match against Carson-Newman, Arkansas Tech will then play the host of the event, Union University. The Lady Bulldogs went 6-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play last season. Union comes off of a 0-3 loss in their last match against Trevecca Nazarene University and currently sits at 6-2 overall for the 2021 season. The Golden Suns are 3-0 all time against the Lady Bulldogs. The most recent win coming in 2014 where Tech swept Union 3-0. This will be the second and final match the team will play on Friday with a 7 p.m. start time.
Arkansas Tech will close out the weekend with a match against Christian Brother University. The Lady Buccaneers ended the 2020 season with no wins overall or in conference play. This season, Christian Brothers sits at 2-7 overall with their last match resulting in a win against Fisk University. The Golden Suns have a successful program history against the Lady Buccaneers holding a 26-10 all time record. Most recently, Tech defeated Christian Brothers in a 3-0 sweep in Tucker Coliseum during the 2017 season. The match is set for a 3 p.m. start time on Saturday, September 18.
