SEARCY, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech women's volleyball team played their final road conference match of the season on Tuesday night at Harding and put forth a valiant effort, but ultimately lost 3-1.
Set one was ultra-competitive as it featured five lead changes and 10 tie scores. Additionally, neither team led by more than four points. The last six of the tie scores started when the Golden Suns knotted the set at 19-all. That point on also had the final two lead changes.
With the score tied 19-all, Harding scored consecutive points to go up 21-19. The Golden Suns answered back with three-straight points, however, to take a 22-21 lead. Those three points came on a solo block by
Sierra Orton and consecutive kills by
Savannah Meyer.
The two teams traded the next four points to give the Golden Suns set-point, 24-23. Harding would stave that off and eventually capture the set themselves, 27-25, by scoring four of the next five points in the set.
Set two was controlled throughout by Harding as they jumped out to an early 4-0 lead and later grew the advantage out as high as seven points. The Golden Suns would rally later in the set pull the margin to just four points by set's end.
In the third set, the Golden Suns found themselves down early again, but a 6-0 run flipped a two-point deficit into a four-point lead, 12-8. The Golden Suns would manage to keep a comfortable distance between them and Harding until the Lady Bisons scored five-straight points to take a 17-16 lead.
Action in the third set was closely-contested the rest of the way out, but it was the Golden Suns who were able to close the set, winning 25-23, to force a fourth set.
Unfortunately, the Lady Bisons did not allow any significant momentum to carry over for the Golden Suns as they raced out to a 6-0 lead in the fourth set. The Golden Suns were able to cut that lead in half not long after, but the early hole was too much to overcome as Harding cruised to a 25-14 win in the set to win the match overall.
Offensively, the Golden Suns were led in kills by
Savannah Meyer as she had 18. Behind her and reaching double-digits in kills was
Henley Hooks with 11. Hooks is now over 300 kills this season to join Meyer in that regard and it marks the first time since 2017 that a pair of Golden Suns have eclipsed the 300-kill mark in the same season.
Emma Kiser and
Kenzie Garrett shared the load at setter with Kiser having 26 and Garrett, 15.
Defensively,
Jamie Myrick totaled 33 digs to lead the team. She was followed by Kiser, who had 10 to notch a double-double.
The Golden Suns will now prepare for their final regular season match of the season this coming Thursday night. They will be at home for the match against Ouachita Baptist and will conduct their Senior Night ceremony prior to the 6 p.m. start time. In the ceremony, the Golden Suns will honor the careers of
Jordan Clouse,
Jamie Myrick,
Kaitlyn Neal,
Sierra Orton and
Maddi Siedenburg.
