Box Score ARKADELPHIA, Ark. - The Arkansas Tech volleyball team falls to Henderson State on the road in an intense five-set match. The Golden Suns are now 3-10 overall with an even 1-1 record against Great American Conference opponents.

The opening set began rough for the Golden Suns as the Reddies found a 7-0 right out of the gate to gain an early advantage. A kill and a pair of aces from Heather Thomas got Tech back in the match cutting Henderson's lead to 5-8. Another big run by Henderson, 7-1 this time, found them grabbing the big advantage once again. After being down 9-20, the Golden Suns found some life with a 5-0 run with a kill each for Lydia Hale and Brianna Merkel as well as a service ace from Gracie Palmer. The Reddies would stop Tech's run there however and take the first set 25-14.

Both sides found quick 4-0 runs to start the second set leading to a 4-4 tie. While both sides traded blows, the Reddies would find ways to get multiple consecutive points keeping a small distance away from the Golden Suns during the set. Capitalizing on Henderson errors led to a 5-1 for the Golden Suns down the stretch that tied the set at 22-22. After the Reddies made it a 24-22 match, the Golden Suns proceeded to score the next three points, thanks to another error by Henderson and a pair of kills from Emma Crenshaw and Thomas, making it a 25-24 lead for Arkansas Tech late in the set. Both sides traded blows, with Tech finding an eventual 27-26 advantage, but Henderson would close out the set on a 3-0 run to take the second set 29-27.

Henderson State once again quickly opened up on the attack with an early 5-1 lead. Not long after, the Golden Suns found a 4-0 run led by Olivia Crowl who picked up an onslaught of three kills to put them back in the match down 6-7. Two errors by the Reddies and two kills from Hale gave the Golden Suns the lead 10-8. Another kill from Crowl and Merkel pushed the lead to 13-9. An important 6-1 run in the middle of the set gave Tech a 21-16 lead fueled by an ace from Thomas as well as kills from Abigail Weaver, Hale and Crowl. Both sides would be forced to play some extra points as the Reddies managed to find a run late to make it 24-24. Neal would finish off the Reddies in the third set with a kill as the Golden Suns survive the third set and take it 27-25.

This time, the Golden Suns would be the team to find the hot start as they jumped out to an early 8-5 lead that saw kills from Merkel, Hale and Crenshaw. The Golden Suns continued to stay on the attack on offense as a 4-0 run at a critical point in the set, sparked by a pair of kills from Hale and Crenshaw, extended their lead over Henderson State to 17-11. Arkansas Tech would quickly finish off Henderson State from there, closing on an 8-3 run, to take the fourth set 25-15 and force a dramatic set five in Arkadelphia.

Both sides traded blows in the opening points of the fifth set leading to an early 3-3 tie. Eventually, the Reddies would try and pull away taking a 9-6 lead,  but the Golden Suns would mount a 4-0 run following a timeout fueled by two attack errors from the Reddies and two kills from Thomas and Merkel. Following the Tech run, Henderson State would close out the rest of the match on a 6-1 run to take the final set 15-11 and win the match to prevent the Golden Suns comeback attempt.

Leading the offensive attack for the Golden Suns was Hale with a team-high 12 kills. Following closely behind was Thomas and Crowl who each picked up 10 kills. Merkel and Crenshaw also added to the attack with eight and seven kills, respectively. Pacing the offense for Arkansas Tech was Merkel with 28 assists, while Palmer assisted on 11. In terms of aces, Thomas picked up five and Megan Solberg collected four. Anchoring the Golden Sun defense was Mikaela Esparza with 20 digs on the night. Solberg and Merkel also contributed a lot on defense with 19 and 18 digs, respectively. With her 28 assist and 18 dig night, Merkel earned a double-double against Henderson State. Holding down the front of the net was the pair of Thomas and Hale who each recorded two assisted and one solo block on the night.

Head coach of the Golden Suns, Kera Coleman, was proud of the leadership and maturity her team showed on the floor tonight

"We fought hard tonight. We were really struggling to settle in at the beginning of the match, found ourselves down 2 sets, and were able to rally back together. We hate the loss but we're proud of the fight. I'm so proud of our seniors for showing our new players what it's like to fight back as hard as they did. That's what it's all about - leaving a legacy behind doesn't mean never losing. It's about paving the way for the program and we believe they did that tonight."

The Golden Suns will stay on the road as they travel to Searcy, Ark. for a duel with GAC leader Harding on Thursday for their next outing. The match at Harding is set for a 6 p.m. first serve on Thursday night.