SEARCY, Ark. – The Southern Arkansas volleyball team's season came to a close Friday as Arkansas Tech handed it a 3-0 loss in the semi-final round of the Great American Conference tournament at Rhodes Field House.
 
The Golden Suns (27-9) are the No. 2-seeded team in the tourney, while the Lady Muleriders (23-12) were No. 3.  Final scores were 19-25, 20-25 and 26-28.
 
Kaitlyn White led ATU with 18 kills and hit .349, and Sara Motsinger added 13 kills and hit .367.
 
SAU got 13 kills from junior outside hitter Courtney Geesing (Montrose, Colo.), and seven from junior outside hitter Denise De Vine (Lake Elsinore, Calif.).
 
Southern Arkansas battled furiously throughout the match, holding a 9-6 lead in the first set before Tech outscored them 19-10 down the stretch for the 25-19 win.  The Lady Muleriders dug themselves a hole in the second set in trailing 22-13, but closed with a 7-3 run in the 25-20 loss.  The match seemed headed to a fourth set with SAU commanding a 22-18 advantage in the third, but it went extra points as the Golden Suns closed on a 10-6 run for a 28-26 finish, with Motsinger getting three consecutive kills to end it.
 
ATU held a 48-35 margin in kills and out-hit Southern Arkansas .272 to .112.
 
Junior libero Lauren Woods (Kennedale, Texas) picked up 17 digs for the Lady Muleriders, De Vine had 14, and Geesing collected 12.  Senior middle hitter Vanessa Ascencio (Montebello, Calif.) finished with three blocks.
 
Morgan McKellar had 18 digs for Arkansas Tech, and Brittany Ryan had six blocks.
 
SAU wraps up its third consecutive successful season under the direction of Head Coach Steven Gream, reaching the semi-final of the GAC tournament for the second straight year.  Gream has compiled a 60-40 mark over the past three years, after the 2009 team had gone 1-32 prior to his arrival.
 
The team's 23-12 record this season was the most wins and second-best NCAA finish since the 1996 squad went 27-10.  They finished the GAC regular season tied for second with the Golden Suns at 11-3, setting the school record in winning six consecutive league matches.  They also tied the school mark of nine consecutive wins since being affiliated with the NCAA.
 
Woods' 638 digs on the year ranks second all-time at Southern Arkansas, behind only Mallory McKee's 663 in 2007.
 
De Vine became the first player in nine years to top the 400-kill plateau, turning in 414, and senior opposite hitter Courtney Smith (Mansfield, Texas) closed her career with 1,012 kills.
 
The Lady Muleriders lose four seniors off this year's team in Ascencio, Smith, middle hitter Monica Cox (Channelview, Texas) and outside hitter Megan Godsil (Durham, Calif.).