CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The Arkansas Tech volleyball team opened their weekend at the Flame Invitational on Friday with a pair of hard-fought matches against Lincoln Memorial and Eckerd College. The Golden Suns would drop both matches in straight-sets, but were resilient and competitive throughout.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL
In the opening set, the Golden Suns jumped out to an early four-point lead, 6-2, but a 5-0 run by LMU swung them in front by a point. The set was closely-contested over the next 14 points and Tech was down just a point, 13-12. The Railsplitters created some separation after that, however, and scored eight of the next nine points of the set to build up a 22-14 lead. LMU would go on to close out the opening set, 25-18.
The second set was tight early as neither side led by more than two points through the first 24 points scored. With Tech leading 13-11, LMU engineered a 6-0 run to grab the largest lead of the set to that point, four points, 17-13. The Railsplitters would maintain a comfortable lead for most of the remainder of the set, but the Golden Suns had one more rally in them to pull things tight.
Trailing 24-18, the Golden Suns would score five-unanswered points to pull within a point, 24-23. Their late surge ended there, however as a service error finished off the set for LMU.
Set three saw the Golden Suns take an early 2-0 deficit and turn it into a 6-2 lead. The Golden Suns would remain in the lead through the 15
th point of the set when Lincoln Memorial went up by a point. With the set knotted at 11-all, the Railsplitters went on an 8-2 run to go up by five points, 18-13.
After trading points, the Golden Suns ripped off a 10-1 run of their own surge past the Railsplitters and lead by three, 23-20. Tech would get to set point moments later at 24-22 and were looking to extend the match, but LMU scored consecutive points to knot the set at 24-all. After the Golden Suns regained set-point on the ensuing point, the Railsplitters scored three-straight points to close the set and match.
ECKERD
The opening set with Eckerd was close throughout the early stages as the largest lead on either side was just two points through the first 28 points scored. During that time, there was also seven tie scores and four lead changes.
With Tech trailing by a point, 14-13, Eckerd scored four-straight to go up by five, 18-13. The Golden Suns responded, however, with four unanswered points of their own to get back within a point, 18-17. Later, the Golden Suns tied the set at 21-all as setter
Emma Kiser collected a kill to cap a mini 3-0 run. The two teams traded points after that to tie the set at 22-all, but Eckerd would score the final three points to win the set, 25-22.
In the second set, the Golden Suns raced out to a 6-0 lead, but that quick start was matched by Eckerd as they scored five-straight to pull within a point. The set would remain closely-contested with neither team leading by more than two points through the 28
th point scored. At that point, Eckerd used a 4-0 run to flip a two-point deficit into a two-point lead, 17-15.
The Tritons later pushed their lead out to four points before the Golden Suns pulled within a point, 23-22. Eckerd would go on to hold off the Golden Suns and win the set, 25-23.
In the third set, the Golden Suns found themselves down early and trailed 12-5, but pulled back within three, 13-10. Scoring would be back and forth for the next stretch of the set as the Tritons kept the Golden Suns at bay. Tech would be able to ger as close as two points of the lead, 23-21, but Eckerd would be able to close out the set with consecutive points.
UP NEXT
The Golden Suns will now prepare for a quick turnaround as they wrap up their time at the Flame Invitational on Saturday. They will play Georgia College first at 8 a.m. and then conclude with host Lee University at 1 p.m.
