RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference released its annual preseason coaches poll for volleyball on Thursday, and in that poll, the Arkansas Tech volleyball team was picked to finish sixth.
A trio of teams topped the poll with over 100 points earned. Defending regular season and tournament champion, Harding was picked as the overwhelming favorite with 118 total points and nine of the 12 first-place votes. Oklahoma Baptist received two first-place votes and landed second with 107 points. Southwestern Oklahoma did not receive a first-place vote, but had a 103-point total to place third.
Ouachita Baptist garnered the final first-place vote and totaled 87 points to place fourth. Just off their point total was Southern Nazarene at 82. Tech then slotted in at sixth in the poll with 58 total points.
The next three spots in the poll were close as East Central and Northwestern Oklahoma tied for seventh with 57 points apiece. Henderson State landed ninth with 51 points. Southern Arkansas, Southeastern Oklahoma and Arkansas-Monticello rounded out the poll with 35, 19 and 18 points, respectively.
For the Golden Suns, the 2023 season has all the makings of a bounce-back year as they return nine letterwinners from a year ago. Highlighted among those returners are Tech's top hitter, setter and defensive specialist.
Maddi Siedenburg, a junior outside hitter from Wales, Wis., led the team in kills last season with 224. Local product
Gracie Palmer returns for her senior season and figures to improve upon her setting numbers from last year when she led the team with 425 assists. Palmer also enters the year 372 assists shy of 1,000 for her career.
On the defensive side, junior
Jamie Myrick is expected to take over the libero role. Last year as a defensive specialist, Myrick was second on the team with 272 digs while also leading the team in service aces with 40.
In addition to the returners, the Golden Suns bolstered their roster with nine newcomers. All but one of those new players come to Tech from the prep volleyball ranks with four of those being from the Natural State.
The Golden Suns will once more be led by head coach
Kera Coleman. A Golden Sun volleyball alum, Coleman will be entering her sixth year at Tech and carries with her a 70-61 record. Overall, Coleman is 11 wins shy of 100 as a head coach. The 2023 Golden Suns are set to begin their 2023 season on the road the weekend of September 1-2. The weekend prior, however, the Golden Suns will play their annual Green and Gold scrimmage at home inside Tucker Coliseum starting at 3 p.m.
For the full 2023 Golden Suns volleyball schedule, click the following link:
https://arkansastechsports.com/sports/womens-volleyball/schedule
