Suns Open NCAA Volleyball Tourney Thursday

Access live video and live statistics. The Golden Suns (29-5), regular season and postseason champions of the Great American Conference under head coach Kristy Bayer, enter the NCAA Tournament on a 21-match winning streak. Arkansas Tech defeated Southern Nazarene University in the championship match of the GAC Tournament to earn an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Tech is the No. 8 seed in the 2014 NCAA Division II Tournament Central Regional. The Golden Suns are 1-3 all-time in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament. They earned a four-set win over the University of Montevallo in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Division II South Central Regional before falling to eventual national semifinalist University of North Alabama in the regional semifinals. Tech bowed out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2011 and 2013. Thursday’s contest will be a rematch of a first-round match in the 2013 NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament Central Regional. UMD defeated Arkansas Tech 25-16, 25-13, 25-16 in the opening round a year ago. The Bulldogs (31-1) are the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II Tournament Central Regional. They have won 25 consecutive matches, and their only loss of the season came to nationally top-ranked University of Tampa on Sept. 13. Other first-round matches at the NCAA Division II Tournament Central Regional on Thursday include No. 3 seed Southwest Minnesota State University taking on No. 6 seed University of Nebraska-Kearney; No. 2 seed Concordia University-St. Paul facing No. 7 seed Washburn University; and No. 4 seed University of Central Missouri squaring off against No. 5 seed Wayne State College. Concorida-St. Paul is the seven-time defending NCAA Division II volleyball national champion.]]>