Category: Arkansas Volleyball

Gillen leads 11th-ranked Hogs to volleyball sweep over Alabama

The No. 11 Razorbacks volleyball team now has its most wins in over a decade.

The No. 11 Razorback volleyball team had another successful road test on Friday, going to Tuscaloosa to sweep through Alabama in straight sets, 25-15, 25-16, 25-21.

The Razorbacks, who are now 7-2 in road matches, already defeated the Crimson Tide at home on Oct. 15 for the season sweep.

With four regular-season matches remaining, the 22 victories is the most in a season for Arkansas Head Coach Jason Watson, since he took the reins in 2016. It is also the most wins for the program since it went 22-10 in 2012.

The Razorback offense had a stellar showing against the Tide, with a .422 hitting percentage – the second-best for Arkansas all season – and five players hitting over .400.

Graduate outside hitter Jill Gillen had a team-high 15 kills on 31 swings, for a .452 hitting clip, and also had seven digs and a solo block. Junior setter Hannah Hogue led the offensive attack with 43 assists and 11 digs, for her 11th double-double of the season.

Arkansas jumped on Alabama early in the first set, taking a quick 8-3 lead. A four-point run, including three kills and a block, pushed the Razorbacks’ lead to 20-8. Back-to-back kills from Taylor Head and Gillen pushed it to set point, before the Tide rattled off three straight points. But a kill from junior Sania Petties put the first set away, 25-15.

Alabama grabbed the early momentum in Set 2, taking a 7-4 advantage, before Arkansas put together four straight points. The got a spark with an Hogue ace, which gave the Razorbacks a 9-7 lead. A pair of Gillen kills then increased the Hogs’ lead to 13-8. The Tide couldn’t get more than one point at a time, as the Razorbacks boosted the lead to 23-13. A kill by graduate Maggie Cartwright, along with an attack error, ended the set 25-16 in favor of the Hogs.

The Tide continued to put up a fight in the third set, staying within striking distance. After Arkansas eased out to a 17-14 lead, Alabama kept the pressure on. But three straight points on kills from Gillen and Zoi Evans pushed it to set point for the Hogs. Bama bounced back with two points, but Cartwright quickly slammed the door at 25-21, to secured the match sweep.

Arkansas hits the road again on Wednesday to face Ole Miss at 8 p.m., broadcast live on the SEC Network. The Razorbacks will then return to Barnhill Arena on Nov. 19, to host Florida at 3 p.m.

No. 8 Arkansas volleyball sweeps Mississippi State in home return

The No. 8 Razorbacks volleyball team returned from from a five-match road trip to sweep Mississippi State on Sunday.

After going 3-2 on a dauting five-match road trip over the past two weeks, the The No. 8 Arkansas volleyball team returned home with a purpose on Sunday, drilling Mississippi State 3-0 in front of 3,298 rowdy fans at Barnhill Arena.

It was the second-highest attendance mark in program history, behind only the 4,299 for No. 1 Wisconsin on August 30. Seven of the 10 all-time most-attended matches have come this season.

Arkansas (21-4, 11-2 SEC) remains one game behind conference leader Kentucky in the standings, after defeating the Bulldogs 26-24, 25-12, 25-22. It was the Razorbacks’ 12th sweep of the season, and sixth against at SEC opponent.

Senior outside hitter Taylor Head led the Hogs offense on the day with her 15th double-double of the season, tallying 13 kills and 10 digs. Junior setter Hannah Hogue equaled that double-double effort with 32 assists and 11 digs, while junior Courtney Jackson added a team-high 16 digs and three service aces.

The first set was tight throughout and was tied 23-23, until Head made a kill to lead the Hogs to a 26-24 victory. Arkansas jumped out early in Set 2, Consecutive kills from graduate Maggie Cartwright and Head put the Razorbacks up 12-7. They kept the pressure on with a four-point run, highlighted by two kills from junior Sania Petties, that doubled up the advantage at 18-9. Graduate outside hitter Jill Gillen had two kills late in the set to put it away, 25-12, for a two-set advantage.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 5-1 lead in the third set, before Arkansas rebounded with an 8-1 run that featured two aces – one from Cartwright and one from Jackson – as the Razorbacks claimed a 12-8 lead. Mississippi State clawed back to take a 17-14 lead, before Arkansas regrouped with a timeout and proceeded to make a six-point run with two Gillen kills, a solo block by junior Zoi Evans and capped with an ace from Hogue, to take a 20-17 lead. The Bulldogs tied it at 21-21, before the Razorbacks scored three straight, getting an ace from Jackson. Petties, a transfer from MSU, then closed out the 25-22 win against her former team with her eighth kill of the day.

The Hogs now go back on the road with trips to Alabama and Ole Miss this week, before returning home to host No. 20 Florida on Nov. 19, followed by a home showdown with No. 13 Kentucky on Nov. 22.

No. 10 Arkansas volleyball picks up historic sweep over No. 19 Florida

No. 10 Arkansas volleyball made history once again with a huge victory over No. 19 Florida on Sunday afternoon.

Entering the matchup with No. 19 Florida, the No. 10 [autotag]Arkansas volleyball[/autotag] team had never beaten the Gators in Gainesville. In fact, the Hogs were just 3-50 all-time against Florida.

On Sunday afternoon, that all changed as Arkansas was able to defeat the Gators in straight sets for the first time under head coach [autotag]Jason Watson[/autotag].

The Hogs trailed early in the first set, but put together a ferocious comeback to win 25-19. In the second set, the Gators, once again, built a comfortable lead early on. However, Arkansas would not be denied as a five-point run gave them the fuel they needed to put Florida away, 25-20.

The third and final set was very back-and-forth up until the very end. Florida would not go away without a fight and tied it twice following the Hogs’ 22-21 lead. The Razorbacks would finally slam the door shut on any hopes for a Florida comeback with back-to-back kills from Jill Gillen and Taylor Head, to win the set 25-23 and the match 3-0.

With the win, Arkansas volleyball improves to 20-3 overall and 10-1 in SEC play. Next up for the Hogs is a trip to Athens to face the Georgia Bulldogs on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. CT. The match will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

Hogs volleyball bounces back, rolls South Carolina

Arkansas, the No. 10 team in the nation, stayed atop the SEC with the victory.

Days after suffering their first SEC defeat of the season, the Arkansas volleyball team was back in their winning ways Friday.

The 10th-ranked Razorbacks handled South Carolina, 3-1, on the road in Columbia to stay tied atop the SEC with Kentucky, the team that beat Arkansas last time out.

Jill Gillen led Arkansas with 19 kills and 11 digs to go along with two aces. Taylor Head joined her with a double-double, registering 16 kills and 11 digs while adding four blocks.

Jada Lawson had four aces from the service line and Zoi Evans tallied nine blocks to give the Razorbacks a team double-double from those two statistics: 11 aces and 14 blocks.

Arkansas is now 19-3 overall and 9-1 in SEC play. That league mark is the Razorbacks’ best since 2003. The team continues their four-match road trip Sunday at No. 19 Florida.

No. 10 Arkansas volleyball splits pair on road with Top 20 teams

The 10th-ranked Razorbacks split a pair of volleyball road matches this weekend.

After breaking into the Top 10 for the first time in program history last week, the No. 10 Arkansas volleyball team split a pair of road matches against Top 20 opponents this weekend.

The Razorbacks (18-3, 8-1 SEC) defeated No. 12 Tennessee (16-3, 7-2) on Friday night, 25-27, 25-16, 25-22, 25-20, earning their first win in Knoxville in nine seasons. On Sunday, the Hogs dropped a five-set heart-breaker at No. 20 Kentucky (10-7, 8-1), 25-16, 16-25, 22-25, 25-19, 10-15.

After dropping the first set to Tennessee, Arkansas stormed back with three straight set wins to capture the match victory.

Senior Taylor Head had a career night for the Hogs against the Volunteers, tallying a personal-best 24 kills on 58 swings for a .362 hitting percentage. She also added 21 digs for her 12th double-double of the season.

Junior setter Hannah Hogue had two of Arkansas’ four aces on the night, while also posting a double-double, with 49 assists and 28 digs. That is the most single-match digs by a Razorback this season.

The Razorbacks fell behind Kentucky 2-1 in sets, before taking the fourth set, 25-19, to send it to the fifth set. The Wildcats were able to eek out a 15-10 win to claim the match inside legendary Rupp Arena.

It ended Arkansas’ 16-match win streak, and was the Hogs’ first loss since August, when they fell to No. 1 Wisconsin in consecutive matches.

Head came up big for the Razorbacks yet again, with her second consecutive 24-kill match, equaling her career-best on Friday. Her team-high 18 digs also gave her a double-double for the 13th time this season.

Graduate outside hitter Jill Gillen also posted a double-double with 23 kills and 15 digs, adding a team-high five blocks and a team-high four service aces.

Arkansas will continue its lengthy road stretch with three more conference matches away from home this week, beginning at South Carolina (8-10, 2-7) on Friday, the at Florida (13-4, 5-3) on Sunday, followed by a trip to Georgia (13-7, 4-4) on Nov. 1.

The Razorbacks will finally return to Barnhill Arena on Nov. 5 to host Mississippi State (10-9, 3-6) at 3 p.m.

Arkansas volleyball ranked Top 10 for first time in program history

The No. 10 Arkansas volleyball team is currently riding a 15-game win streak, including a 7-0 record in the SEC.

The Arkansas volleyball team has entered rare air this week, as the Razorbacks entered the Top 10 of the NCAA Top 25 rankings for the first time in the program’s 30-year history.

The No. 10 Hogs have compiled a 17-2 overall record, including 17-0 against teams not ranked No. 1. The only team to defeat Arkansas this season is top-ranked Wisconsin, who did it twice in late August. Of those 17 wins, 10 have been 3-0 sweeps.

The Hogs are on a current 15-game win streak, their longest in 20 years, and at 7-0 in the SEC, are the only unbeaten team remaining in the conference. They have only lost a total of three sets, of the 24 they have played, in conference matches.

Since Jason Watson took over as head coach in 2016, the upward climb has been steady. Prior to his arrival from Arizona State, the Razorbacks had not had a winning conference record since 2012, and hadn’t won an NCAA Tournament game since 2005. The team went 9-21 in Watson’s first season.

After making it into the Top 25 last season, for the first time in seven years, the Razorbacks advanced to their first NCAA postseason tournament in nine years. When they defeated Utah State in the first round, it was their first tournament win since beating St. Mary’s (Calif.) in 2005.

Arkansas entered this season ranked No. 25, its first preseason ranking since 1999. After opening the slate with wins over Michigan State and Tulsa, the Razorbacks lost a pair to the top-ranked Badgers. Since then, it’s been 15 straight victories.

The Razorbacks have also made it into the prestigious Michella Chester’s Power 10 rankings for the first time ever. They have done it will stellar play in all aspects of the game, from serves to net play. Arkansas ranks No. 5 in the nation in aces per set, averaging 2.24.

Junior setter Hannah Hogue and graduate Jill Gillen lead the team with 28 service aces each, while Hogue currently ranks No. 4, nationally, in assists per set, averaging 11.43. Gillen is the team leader in kills, with 240.

Junior Courtney Jackson leads the team with 233 digs, averaging 3.91 per set. Junior Zoi Evans leads the team with 56 blocks, averaging 1.04 per set.

The Razorbacks are getting ready to put their resiliency to the test, with five straight road matches, beginning Friday at No. 12 Tennessee, then Sunday at No. 20 Kentucky. The road trip will also include a visit to No. 17 Florida the following week.

No. 12 Razorback volleyball team tops Tide, extends win streak to 15

The Razorbacks volleyball team has extended its win streak to 15, the longest in 20 years.

The No. 12 Arkansas volleyball team extended it’s longest win streak of the last two decades, on Sunday, while claiming sole possession of first place in the SEC.

The Razorbacks (17-2, 7-0 SEC) toppled Alabama, 25-10, 25-13, 23-25, 25-13 in front of a rowdy crowd of 1,593 at Barnhill Arena — thus extending their streak to 15 straight match victories. The Hogs, who wore pink on Sunday in honor of breast cancer awareness, have not lost a match since late August, when they dropped a pair to No. 1 Wisconsin.

After No. 10 Tennessee was swept by Kentucky earlier Sunday, Arkansas is the only undefeated team remaining in the conference. The 7-0 record to begin SEC play is the Razorbacks’ best start since 2003, when they finished 27-7 overall and 15-1 in conference.

Senior Taylor Head had another stellar day for the Razorbacks, turning in a hit percentage of .361 and 18 kills against the Crimson Tide (10-8, 0-7). She now has a total  of 1,311 kills in her career, which moved her to No. 9 all-time in program history.

Junior middles Sania Petties and Zoi Evans each had six blocks to lead the Razorback defense. Both also had great effort on offense, with Petties contributed 10 kills and Evans adding a career-high six.

After Alabama opened the first set with a 3-0 lead, Arkansas quickly stormed back with nine unanswered, and never looked back. While the Tide got the first three points of the set, the Razorbacks rattled off nine straight and got an early advantage that sent Alabama to a timeout. The Hogs led 17-8 lead, which prompted Alabama’s second timeout of the set. After the Tide score a point, the Hogs went on a 5-0 run that featured three Jill Gillen kills and an ace from Hannah Hogue made it 22-9. They ended it with three straight points, and pout it on ice with a kill by Head..

Arkansas jumped out quickly in the second set. A six-point run, highlighted by two kills and two blocks, stretched the lead to 12. Head’s kill again finished off the set and put the Hogs up 2-0 in the match.

After the Tide squeaked out a two-point win in Set 3, the Hogs answered back in the fourth set with an 8-1 run, including four kills and two blocks, for a 10-4 lead. Gillen finished the match with five service aces and 15 digs, as Arkansas cruised to victory.

The Razorbacks have a five-match road swing over the next two weeks, which begins with consecutive matches against ranked teams – at No. 10 Tennessee on Friday and at No. 13 Kentucky on Sunday,

The will return home on Nov.5 to host Mississippi State.

No. 13 Arkansas volleyball team tops Missouri to win 13th straight

The Razorbacks volleyball team won it’s fifth straight SEC match, extending its overall streak to 13 victories in a row.

The 13th-ranked Arkansas volleyball team continues to steamroll its way through the SEC, winning it’s fifth straight conference game, and it’s 13th consecutive victory overall.

The Razorbacks (15-2, 5-0 SEC) took out Missouri 3-1 on Sunday at Barnhill Arena, and now have their longest win streak in 20 years.

A familiar face led the Arkansas charge, once again, as graduate outside hitter Jill Gillen tallied 15 kills and 15 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. She needed just 12 kills on the day to reach the No. 2 spot on the program’s career kill list. Her 1,803 kills in tops in the current scoring era, dating back to 2008.

The Hogs used a balanced attack to knock off the Tigers (10-7, 2-4 SEC) 25-15, 19-25, 25-16, 25-22. In addition to Gillen, three other Razorbacks finished with double-doubles, as senior Taylor Head had 10 kills and 16 digs, graduate Maggie Cartwright finished with 14 kills and 15 digs, and junior Hannah Hogue had 47 assists and 10 digs. Junior Zoi Evan posted four of Arkansas’ seven blocks.

The Razorbacks got off to a hot start in Set 1, jumping to a 9-3 lead., then had a 7-1 run that put them up 17-7, before winning by 10 points. After Missouri rallied to take the second set, 25-19, Arkansas bounced right back with two straight.

The third set began neck-in-neck, before a 7-1 run put the Razorbacks in command. Two blocks, four kills and an ace by Cartwright gave Arkansas a 10-4 advantage. After the Tigers started to get some momentum, a 6-1 streak by the Hogs pushed the lead to 19-11. A Missouri attack error led to the set-point.

After jumping out to a 9-3 lead in the fourth set, Arkansas had to fight off a 6-1 Tigers run. Missouri kept in close throughout, cutting it to 18-16 late. But Gillen’s final call of the match put the icing on the cake,

Arkansas continues its three-match homestand with two this weekend. The Hogs will host Ole Miss on Friday at 7 p.m., then will take on Alabama on Sunday at 6 p.m. Friday’s match will be streamed on SEC Network+ and Sunday’s will air live on SEC Network.

Arkansas volleyball continues to dominate in SEC play

Arkansas volleyball’s winning streak increases to 11-straight after beating No. 14 Auburn on Wednesday night.

The No. 24 Auburn Tigers entered Wednesday night’s matchup with the No. 14 Arkansas volleyball team with momentum and hope.

That momentum and hope quickly faded as the red-hot Hogs were able to take down the Tigers in straight sets to increase their winning steak to 11-straight games. Arkansas allowed Auburn to score just 34 points over the entire match, which was the lowest total allowed since 2015.

The Hogs only allowed Auburn to score six points in the final set, which tied a program record in the modern scoring era for least points allowed in a single set. It was the least amount of points the team has ever allowed to an SEC opponent.

Arkansas won the first set by a score of 25-18, the second set 25-10 and the final set 25-6 to take the match in straight sets.

The volleyball Hogs will look to continue their hot streak following a week-long break. Next Wednesday, Oct. 4, they’ll travel to Baton Rouge to face LSU at 7:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+.

Arkansas volleyball defeats Texas A&M 3-1, starts perfect in SEC play

The 16th-ranked Arkansas volleyball team extended their winning steak to 10 games after beating Texas A&M on Sunday.

The No. 16 [autotag]Arkansas Razorbacks[/autotag] volleyball team was able to dispatch the Texas A&M Aggies 3-1 on Sunday to start SEC play with a perfect 2-0 record.

With the win, Arkansas’ current winning streak reaches 10-straight. Their last loss came all the way back on August 31 when No. 1 Wisconsin came to Barnhill Arena.

Sunday’s showdown against Texas A&M was the second of two weekend matches for the Hogs. The first match took place on Friday night when they took down South Carolina in straight sets.

Up next, Arkansas will have the final match of their three-game homestand when they welcome No. 24 Auburn to Barnhill Arena on Wednesday Sept. 27. The match will start at 7:00 p.m. and can be seen on SEC Network.

Let’s take a closer look and recap of how each set played out during Arkansas’ 3-1 win over Texas A&M.