Alva Review-Courier -

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Behind Hunter Eshnaur's eighth double-double of the season, the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns (15-8, 8-2 GAC) defeated Southern Nazarene (13-14, 5-5 GAC), 3-0, on Saturday afternoon at Tucker Coliseum.

NEXT UP

Arkansas Tech will return to action on Thursday, Oct. 18 as the Golden Suns travel to Arkadelphia, Ark. to take of the GAC leader, Henderson State.

HOW IT HAPPENED

After trailing Southern Nazarene 4-3, Arkansas Tech put together a 5-0 run to take an 8-4 lead. Tech maintained a lead for much of the first set, leading by as many as nine before Hunter Eshnaur gave Tech the 1-0 set-lead with her fifth kill of the game.

The Golden Suns had their best offensive set in the first set as they hit .400 with 14 kills and only two attacking errors.

Tech fell behind early in the second set as the Crimson Storm got out to a 5-2 lead. The Suns scored five of the next six points and regained the lead at 7-6 after a Madison Grantham service ace.

Both teams went back and worth over the next several points, with neither team creating much separation, with the score tied at 17-17, Tech put together a 7-1 run, capped by an Eshnaur kill to give the Golden Suns a 24-18 lead. After a Tech service error, Tabitha Spray put the set away as she delivered her sixth kill of the game.

Neither team could establish an early advantage in the final set, until the Golden Suns took a 11-6 lead on an Eshnaur kill. However, SNU rallied back to tie the game at 14-14 before Tech scored 11 of the final 13 points, stealing the match from the Golden Suns.

Tech put together its best defensive set in the third and final set as the Golden Suns held the Crimson Storm to a -.059 hitting percentage. Tech also recorded two blocks in the third set.

NOTABLES

With the win, the Golden Suns move into fourth place in Great American Conference standings with an 8-3 conference record.

Tech finished the match hitting .303, while limiting Southern Nazarene to a .100 attack percentage.

Eshnaur led Tech with 14 kills, while adding 11 digs, one block and a service ace.

Mackenzie Eford tallied 11 kills, while Tabitha Spray and Allie Anderson followed with eight apiece.

Emily Acker assisted on a match-high 39 kills, and added eight digs.

Mededith Darnell led Tech with 14 digs, Brittany Melcher added nine, while Grantham notched eight.