Golden Suns Picked to Win GAC Volleyball Title

Arkansas Tech University is the preseason favorite to win the 2016 Great American Conference volleyball championship.

The Golden Suns received seven first-place votes and a total of 116 points in a preseason poll of league head coaches released by the GAC on Tuesday, Aug. 2.

Arkansas Tech was regular season champion of the Great American Conference in 2015. The Golden Suns were 26-7 overall and 15-1 in league play last season.

GAC coaches believe that Tech’s toughest competition in 2016 will come from west of the Arkansas-Oklahoma border.

Oklahoma Baptist University finished second in the preseason poll with 106 points and one first-place vote. Southwestern Oklahoma State University (3rd, 103 points) and Southern Nazarene University (4th, 95 points) collected two first-place votes apiece.

Harding University (5th, 76 points), Southern Arkansas University (6th, 66 points), Northwestern Oklahoma State University (7th, 61 points), Ouachita Baptist University (8th, 54 points), Southeastern Oklahoma State University (9th, 42 points), Henderson State University (10th, 31 points), the University of Arkansas-Monticello (11th, 24 points) and East Central University (12th, 18 points) complete the 2016 preseason GAC volleyball poll.

The Golden Suns have earned three regular season GAC championships (2011, 2014 and 2015) and three GAC Tournament titles (2011, 2013 and 2014) during the first five volleyball seasons in league history.

Kristy Bayer returns for her 13th season as Arkansas Tech head volleyball coach. Her career record is 308-120. Bayer is the institution’s all-time leader in volleyball career coaching victories.

The Golden Suns will begin their 2016 season Sept. 2-3 at the Christian Brothers University Tournament in Memphis, Tenn. Their first home match is set for 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 13, against Southern Arkansas University. Admission to Tucker Coliseum will be free.