ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The Arkansas Tech volleyball team played their first five-set match of the season on Friday against Drury as part of the Bettye Wallace Classic, hosted by Henderson State. Tech would win the first two sets, but Drury surged back and won the next three sets to come away with a reverse sweep.
In the first set, the Golden Suns started off hot and did not trail at any point in the set. There would be only one tie in the opening set and it came at three-all. After that, the Golden Suns would score five of the next six points in the set to go up by four points, 8-4.
The Golden Suns would go on to swell the lead as high as seven points at 18-11. Drury would mount a comeback effort in the set and pulled within three points, 19-16. Later, the Panthers got within two points of the Tech lead, 21-19, but the Golden Suns closed out the set strong and won 25-21.
Set two saw Drury get out to an early lead, but a massive 8-0 run by the Golden Suns flipped a two-point deficit into a commanding six-point lead, 13-7. Later in the set, the Golden Suns ripped a second 8-0 monster run to give them a 23-12 lead. Tech would go on to close out that second set 25-14.
Drury would not give in and had a back-breaking run of their own to seize control of set three. Their run was a 7-0 run that turned their 11-7 lead into an 18-7 lead. That run proved to be too much to overcome in the set and Drury won, 25-16.
Set four was back-and-forth early until the Panthers were able to score six-straight points to make a one-point lead into a seven-point lead, 18-11. After breaking the run, the Golden Suns were not able to slow down the pursuit long as Drury scored four more points consecutively to go up 22-12. They would go on to win the set, 25-16, forcing the fifth set.
The fifth set was extremely competitive early as neither team held a lead larger than two points. The Golden Suns were the ones in front for most of the action and led 10-8 before Drury reached down deep and scored seven of the next eight points in the set to come away with the win.
The Golden Suns were led offensively by
Savannah Meyer, who had 13 kills.
Erika Hernandez was next and rounded out double-figure kills with 10.
Millie Allgood and
Henley Hooks were one off Hernandez's pace with nine each. Emma Kizer and
Aspen Jankowski had 18 assists each will Allgood and
Samantha Wojtowicz had 12 digs. Meyer would also have 10 digs herself to give her a double-double.
The Golden Suns will now prepare for two matches on Saturday afternoon. They will first take on Quincy at 1 p.m. and then Missouri Southern at 5:30 p.m.
