RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech volleyball team knocks off Arkansas-Monticello in a 3-0 sweep at home. Following the match, the Golden Suns advance to 6-19 overall with a 4-8 record against Great American Conference opponents.
The Golden Suns opened the first set on the attack as four straight kills from
Kaitlyn Neal,
Abigail Weaver,
Sierra Orton and
Maddi Siedenburg gave them an early 6-3 lead over the Cotton Blossoms. Another kill from Weaver and three straight aces from
Aspen Jankowski pushed the Golden Sun lead ahead to 10-4. UAM would find a 4-1 lead a few points later to close the gap with Tech still leading 13-11. A nice 4-0 run by the Golden Suns fueled by two kills from Weaver once again extended the lead out to 17-11. Two errors by the Cotton Blossoms as well as a kill from Siedenburg and an ace from
Megan Solberg made it a 22-14 Tech lead. The Golden Suns would close out the first set with kills from
Brianna Merkel, Neal and Weaver to earn the 25-19 first set win.
The Cotton Blossoms came out strong to start the second set of action taking an early 8-5 lead over the Golden Suns. The Golden Suns would fight their way back with some help from UAM errors as well as a kill by Siedenburg to tie the second set at 10-10. Arkansas Tech would take back the lead with two kills from Orton and one from Neal that made it 14-13. From there, Arkansas Tech proceeded to go on a 7-3 run led by a pair of kills from Siedenburg to take a 21-18 lead late in the second set. A couple of points by the Cotton Blossoms brought them to within one as Tech still held a 22-21 lead down the stretch. However, the Golden Suns would put the second set away and win 25-22 to set up the third and final set of the night.
To start the third and final set of the night, the Cotton Blossoms came out with an even stronger start holding a 10-3 early lead over the Golden Suns. A pair of kills from Siedenburg and
Heather Thomas helped the Golden Suns stay with it and go on a 6-0 run to cut the Cotton Blossom lead down to one at 9-10. UAM responded with a 5-1 run to try and put the set away with a 15-10 lead. However, Arkansas Tech refused to bow out as a pair of kills from Neal helped them go on a 6-1 run and tie the third set up at 16-16. Two kills from Orton and Siedenburg gave Tech the 18-17 lead. The Golden Suns would close out the third and final set on a 7-1 run to take it 25-20 and earn the 3-0 sweep over the Cotton Blossoms.
Leading the offensive attack for the Golden Suns was Siedenburg who put down 10 total kills on the night. Following behind her was Neal with nine total kills on the night. Pacing the Golden Suns on offense was the pair of
Gracie Palmer and Jankowski with 17 and 14 assists, respectively. Leading Arkansas Tech in service aces was Jankowski with four against the Cotton Blossoms.
Anchoring the Golden Suns on defense was Solberg with 13 total digs, followed by
Jamie Myrick with eight. Holding down the front of the net was Thomas and Orton who each had three total blocks on the night against Arkansas-Monticello.
Head volleyball coach
Kera Coleman was proud of the way her team fought for the win tonight.
"The ladies earned it tonight! We followed the game plan, kept the energy positive on our side of the net, and walked away with the win. This team just continues to fight and show grit and that's all we can really ask for from them. Big shout out to our fans tonight, we definitely need you Tuesday as well! Fight on!"
The Golden Suns will stay at home for their next matchup as they host Henderson State. The match against the Reddies will be Pack the Stands Night on Tuesday. The match is set for a 6 p.m. first serve in Tucker Coliseum.
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