MAGNOLIA, Ark. - Following their 3-1 win over Henderson State at home in Tucker Coliseum on Tuesday evening, the Arkansas Tech volleyball team extended their win streak to three straight games with a 3-1 win over Southern Arkansas on the road. With the win over the Muleriders, the Golden Suns have officially clenched a spot in the Great American Conference Tournament. The Golden Suns advance to 8-19 overall with a 6-8 record in conference play.

In the first set of the night, the Muleriders got off to a quick start with a 4-0 run to open the match. The Golden Suns quickly responded with a 4-0 run of their own that saw a trio of kills from Kaitlyn Neal, Abigail Weaver and Sierra Orton as well as an ace from Gracie Palmer, to tie the match at 4-4. From there the lead went back and forth until the Golden Suns managed to pull ahead 19-15 following two kills from Heather Thomas and Brianna Merkel as well as an error by Southern Arkansas. Two more attack errors by the Muleriders and another kill from Merkel put the Golden Suns ahead 22-21, but the Muleriders would close out the first set on a 4-0 run to win the first set 25-22.

While Southern Arkansas opened the second set with the first two points, Arkansas Tech made a bigger impact starting with a 9-2 run that was led by three kills from Neal to give them a 9-4 lead early. The Golden Suns continued to stay on the attack as Orton, Thomas, Merkel, Neal and Maddi Siedenburg came up with kills to lift them up to a 15-9 lead in the second set. A 5-2 run put them in the drivers seat down the stretch of the set as they led 20-13. The Golden Suns would close out the second set on a 5-2 run that saw a kill from Thomas and Merkel and two kills from Neal to give them the 25-17 second set win.

This time, the Muleriders would jump out with the early lead holding it 6-3 over the Golden Suns early. The Golden Suns fought back and managed to tie the game at 9-9 to get themselves back in position. The set continued to stay a close fight as both sides fought back and forth trying to gain a substantial lead. The muleriders would take an 18-16 lead late in the set, but the Golden Suns clawed back the lead on a 6-3 run to go back in front 22-21. Arkansas Tech would successfully hold the lead and close out the third set on a 3-1 run to take it 25-22.

In the fourth and final set of the evening, The Golden Suns set the pace early with five straight kills from Neal, Orton and Siedenburg to go in front 6-2. Tech would continue to hold a steady lead as the. Muleriders managed to make a few errors giving Tech some easy points. Two kills from Neal and one each from the pair of Merkel and Orton helped extend the Golden Sun lead out to 16-13. Down the stretch, Merkel came up clutch with three straight kills to give Arkansas Tech a 20-16 lead. For the third straight set, the Golden Suns would close it out strong on a 5-1 run, which were all kills to take the set 25-20 and take the 3-1 victory in the match.

Leading the offensive attack for the Golden Suns was Neal with 17 kills against the Muleriders on a solid .389 hitting percentage. Behind Neal was Merkel with 14 kills while hitting .379 on the night. Pacing the Golden Sun offense was Palmer with 45 assists. In terms of service aces, Merkel led the team with three.

Anchoring the Golden Suns on defense was Megan Solberg with 21 total digs. Holding down the front of the net was Heather Thomas who picked up one solo block and five assisted for six total blocks on the night. Merkel also contributed down front with four total blocks against Southern Arkansas.

Head volleyball coach Kera Coleman was proud of her team for staying tough and finishing the fight to get the big road win. 

"Feels amazing to win in that intense of an environment! Gracie Palmer led the offense for us with Kaitlyn Neal and Brianna Merkel leading the way in kills. We are so proud to have stayed strong after dropping that first set and sticking to the game plan we put together. FIGHT ON! "

The Golden Suns will stay on the road for their next matchup as they head to Arkadelphia to take on Ouachita Baptist. The match against the Tigers is set for a 6 p.m. first serve.  Read Full Article