WEEKEND INFORMATION
ARKANSAS TECH GOLDEN SUNS *3-25 (2-14 GAC)	PITTSBURG STATE GORILLAS *10-19 (5-15 MIAA)	SOUTHWEST BAPTIST BEARCATS *14-15 (3-10 GLVC)	WESTERN COLORADO MOUNTAINEERS *5-21 (2-12 RMAC)	OKLAHOMA CHRISTIAN EAGLES *14-15 (6-10 LSC)
* - Records from 2023 season	Friday, September 6 | 11:30 a.m. John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court | Pittsburg, Kan. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO	Friday, September 6 | 4:30 p.m. John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court | Pittsburg, Kan. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO	Saturday, September 7 | 9 a.m. John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court | Pittsburg, Kan. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO	Saturday, September 7 | 4:30 p.m. John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court | Pittsburg, Kan. LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO

FIRST SERVE
The Arkansas Tech volleyball team is geared up and ready to hit the court for the first time in 2024 and will do so this weekend at the Gorilla Classic, hosted by Pittsburg State. In their first weekend of regular season action, the Golden Suns will play four matches total with two on Friday, September 6 and two and on Saturday, September 7.
 
Friday's matches will see the Golden Suns take on host Pittsburg State and Southwest Baptist. The Pitt State match is scheduled for an 11:30 a.m. start. Later in the afternoon on Friday, the Golden Suns will play Southwest Baptist. That match is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.
 
On day two of the classic, the Golden Suns will take on Western Colorado at 9 a.m. and then play Oklahoma Christian at 4:30 p.m. later that day.
 
The entirety of the classic will have live stats and live video for all matches. Video coverage is pay-per-view through the MIAA Network. Links for stats and video are available at www.ArkansasTechSports.com/coverage
 

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TECH(NICALLY) SPEAKING
The Golden Suns enter their 2024 season looking to bounce back from a season ago and return to their traditional championship form. In pursuit of that, the Golden Suns return 11 players from last year including their top-three hitters and starting libero.
 
Kaitlyn Neal, a senior outside hitter from Peoria, Ariz., led the team in kills last season with 222. Not far off that pace was Savannah Meyer, who in her true freshman campaign notched 212 kills. A classmate of Meyer's was Tech's third-leading attacker as Henley Hooks totaled 172 kills.
 
In pacing the offense, the Golden Suns have two returning setters from last year in Kenzie Garrett and Aspen Jankowski. As a freshman, Garrett began to establish herself as the primary setter and ended her rookie season with 284 assists to rank second on the team.
 
On the defensive side, senior Jamie Myrick is expected to continue in the libero role. Last year, Myrick registered 404 digs while also leading the team in service aces with 34. On the blocking front, the Golden Suns return five players that had at least 25 blocks. Senior middle blocker Sierra Orton had the most among the returners with 38.0.
 
In addition to the returners, the Golden Suns bolstered their roster with seven newcomers.
 
Leading the Golden Suns in 2024 is Kera Coleman. She is set to begin her seventh season at Tech and eighth overall as a head coach. She enters the year eight wins shy of 100 for her career.
 

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SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Pittsburg State
Classic host, Pittsburg State, is coming off a 2023 season that saw them go 10-19 overall and 5-15 in the stout MIAA. The Gorillas will once again be led by Jen Gomez, who will be entering her ninth year at Pitt State. In her time at Pitt State, Gomez is 92-134.
 
Returning from a year ago for the Gorillas are nine players and highlighted among them is honorable mention All-MIAA libero/defensive specialist, Josie McCrosky. Last season, McCrosky totaled 480 digs. In addition to the nine returners, the Gorillas bolstered their roster with nine newcomers.
 
Southwest Baptist
The Bearcats are looking to continue their upward projection and ultimately qualify for their first conference tournament in program history after their second-straight season with 14 wins. Overall, the Bearcats finished 14-15 but were 3-10 in the stout GLVC.
 
The Bearcats, however, did find a ton of success in neutral site matches last season as they went an impressive 9-1. All four of their matches this opening weekend are neutral site.
 
Under the direction of fifth-year head coach James Hanger, the Bearcats are predicted to finish 11th in the 14-team GLVC. In his time at Southwest Baptist, Hanger has amassed a 42-60 record.
 
Western Colorado
Last season, the Mountaineers finished with a 5-21 overall record and were 2-12 in the RMAC. This year, the Mountaineers are picked to finish 13^th in the 15-team RMAC according to the preseason coaches poll.
 
Under the direction of second-year head coach Jordan Bruere, the Mountaineers return four players that were within the top 15 of various RMAC individual rankings.
 
Oklahoma Christian
The Eagles come into the 2024 season picked to finish 11^th in the 17-team Lone Star Conference (LSC). A year ago, Oklahoma Christian finished 12^th in the standings with a 6-10 record in conference play and were 14-15 overall.
 
The Eagles will be led by Asa Freeman, who will be entering his first full season as head coach after taking the program over as interim 12 matches into the season. Freeman previously served as an assistant with the program beginning in 2021.
 
Freeman will have the return services of two of the Eagles' three leading attackers in junior outside hitter Annie Davis and junior middle blocker Camryn McGough, as well as with senior setter Lauren McClure as the captain out on the floor.
 
Along with that trio is nine other returners who will welcome 11 new faces to the program, including senior transfer outside hitter Riley Daugherty from Colorado Mesa and Division I transfers Avery Cole and Calli Collins.