Category: Arkansas Volleyball

Arkansas volleyball team sweeps South Carolina in SEC opener

The Razorback volleyball team opened SEC play Friday night with a straight-set win over South Carolina.

The 16th-ranked Arkansas volleyball team returned to Barnhill Arena Friday night and opened its SEC slate in dominant fashion, cruising to a straight-set sweep over South Carolina, 25-11, 25-15, 25-18.

Three Razorbacks – graduate Jill Gillen, senior Taylor Head and junior Hannah Hogue – finished the night with double-doubles. Gillen led Arkansas with 15 kills and 10 digs, while Head contributed 18 digs and 13 kills. Hogue tallied 35 assists and 13 digs.

Head also led the Hogs with three of their eight service aces, while holding the Gamecocks to zero. Carolina’s .018 hitting percentage was also a season-low for an Arkansas opponent.

The Razorbacks got off to a hot start in the first set with a 9-2 run, then extended it to 12, before closing it out with two straight points. Set 2 started a little tighter, before a pair of kills by junior Sania Petties doubled the lead to 10-5. Arkansas pushed it to seven off a dump kill and an ace from Hogue. A Carolina service error pushed the Hogs to 20 points, then back-to-back kills from Gillen finished it off for the Razorbacks.

The Hogs hit .237 in the second set, while the Gamecocks were held to minus-.056.

Carolina seemed rejuvenated early in the third set, taking the lead on four occasions. But a four-point Razorback run, capped off by kills from graduate Maggie Cartwright and Gillen, got the Hogs an 11-9 advantage. Another four-point run made it 17-12, before another Gillen kill sealed the sweep.

Arkansas’ current three-match homestand will continue Sunday at 3 p.m., as Texas A&M enters the Barn. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+.

Razorback volleyball completes 3-0 sweep in New York City tourney

Arkansas volleyball will now a 10-2 record into SEC conference play this weekend.

The No. 16 Arkansas volleyball team finished off their non-conference slate with its eighth straight match victory Saturday, sweeping Bryant in straight sets, 25-19, 25-11 and 25-19.

The Hogs went 3-0 in New York’s Red Storm Invitation and will now take a 10-2 record into SEC conference play this week. The Hogs lone two losses came at the hands on No. 1 Wisconsin two weeks ago.

Graduate outside-hitter Maggie Cartwright was named tournament MVP after completing her successful weekend with 12 kills against the Bulldogs. Graduate Jill Gillen and senior Taylor Head each finished with 13 kills, and both had great days at the service line, with four and three aces, respectively.

Graduate transfer middle-blocker Laura Ehieze made her first start for the Hogs, and had a team-high four blocks.

After playing from behind for the first half of the opening set, a 5-1 run shifted the momentum, highlighted by two kills and an ace from Gillen. The Hogs eventually took a 13-12 lead, but Bryant came back to tie it three times. Ehieze added her second kill, as the Razorbacks followed with three straight points, including two kills from Cartwright, to win the set.

Arkansas shot out to a 9-1 lead in the second set, aided by three aces from Gillen. A three-point Razorback then made it 18-8, as they rode a 53.8 hitting percent to win the set.

After the Bulldogs grabbed the early lead in the third, Arkansas put together an eight-point run, capped off with a kill by Head for the 10-4 advantage. A late Bulldogs error then helped Arkansas secured the sweep.

The Hogs open conference play this week with matches at home against South Carolina on Friday at 7 p.m., before hosting Texas A&M on Sunday at 3 p.m.

Arkansas volleyball team wins 7th straight match in New York

The Razorbacks volleyball team defeated Buffalo and St. John’s on Friday.

The No. 16 Arkansas volleyball team continues to roll though it’s non-conference slate, making it seven straight match wins after opening the Red Storm Invitational in New York on Friday with wins over host St. John’s and Buffalo.

The Razorbacks swept the Bulls in the first match of the day, 25-14, 25-19, 25-15, and overcame a one-set deficit in the nightcap to outlast the Red Storm, 3-1.

In the opening match, graduate outside hitter Maggie Cartwright racked up 16 kills against against the Bulls. She surpassed 1,000 for her career, making her the 19th Razorback in program history to achieve the feat.

The Bulls kept things close to start, but the Hog offense quickly found their rhythm, as Cartwright strung together five straight kills early. Senior Taylor Head served back-to-back aces for a 14-7 lead. Cartwright slammed down another kill and the Hogs carried the momentum all the way through for a 25-14 set victory.

Buffalo actually led 15-14 in the second set, before the Hogs quickly responded to take a seven-point lead, en route to the 25-19 win. An early 7-1 run gave Arkansas momentum in the third set, as graduate Jillian Gillen slammed down a kill to end it 25-15, and secured the sweep.

After falling 25-19 to the Red Storm in the second match, the Razorbacks found a groove, getting on an 11-1 run that featured a pair of aces by Gillen. Cartwright finished with a kill to win it, 25-16, and tied the match at 1-1. An 8-1 run in the third set led to a 25-17 Arkansas win. The fourth set featured 14 ties, but a late St. John’s attack error, pushed the the Razorbacks to a 25-21 win to finish things off.

Arkansas put up 17 blocks total over the two matches, and had 16 service aces, to seven by Buffalo and St. John’s. Junior middle blocker Zoi Evans led the Arkansas defense with 11 blocks on the day, which included two solos in each match, and a career high eight in the St. John’s match. Gillen finished with seven of Arkansas’ 16 aces, and is now just 10 away from the program career record of 160.

Arkansas closes out non-conference play with the team’s final match of the Red Storm Invitational against Bryant at 1 p.m. CT in Queens. The Razorbacks will open SEC play at home next Friday night, hosting South Carolina in Barnhill Arena at 7 p.m.

Volleyball team to close out non-conference slate in New York City

The Arkansas volleyball team will look to close out its non-conference slate with victories at the Red Storm Invitational.

With its only two losses coming at the hands of No. 1 Wisconsin so far this season, the No. 16 Arkansas volleyball team looks to close out an otherwise perfect non-conference slate with a trip to play in the St. John’s Red Storm Invitational in New York this weekend.

The Razorbacks will take on Buffalo, St. John’s, and Bryant in the two-day event. On Friday, Arkansas will face Buffalo at noon, and host St. John’s at 7 p.m. The Razorbacks will then finish the round-robin Saturday against Bryant at 1 p.m.

Arkansas (7-2) is coming off sweeps in both, the Woo Pig Invitational in Fayetteville and the University Plaza Invitational in Bowling Green, Ky. All four teams in this weekend’s event have at least seven wins on the season.

Junior setter Hannah Hogue, a Fort Smith Southside product, has set the pace for the Hogs early this season, with a team-high 380 assists, averaging 11.18 per set, and 17 service aces.

The team’s match against St. John’s will be the only one streamed, via FloVolleyball. Live stats will be available for all matches.

Arkansas will open SEC play next Friday, hosting South Carolina in Barnhill Arena at 7 p.m.

Arkansas Statistical Leaders

  • Kills: Jillian Gillen, Graduate | 151 | 4.44/set
  • Assists: Hannah Hogue, Junior | 380 | 11.18/set
  • Digs: Courtney Jackson, Junior | 131 | 3.85/set
  • Blocks: Sania Petties, Junior | 33 | 0.97/set
  • Aces: Hannah Hogue, Junior | 17 | 0.50/set

Volleyball dispatches Troy on Saturday morning

Arkansas continues to stack up volleyball wins in the early season, as they finished off a 3-0 road trip to Bowling Green and the University Plaza Invitational.

Arkansas’ No. 17 volleyball team capped off a 3-0 road trip with a four-set win over the Troy Trojans on Saturday.

The Razorbacks (7-2) had defeated College of Charleston and Bowling Green on Friday before taking out Troy.

Jill Gillen led the Razorbacks with 19 kills on 40 swings for a .400 hitting percentage. She also finished her 10 digs for a double-double and had two service aces.

As a team, the Razorbacks finished the match with 13 total blocks, the second double-digit blocking performance for them in as many contests. Arkansas also had 15 service aces, which ties the program record for second-highest in a match, last recorded in 2003.

Next up for the squad is a trip to the Big Apple, where the Razorbacks will face Buffalo, St. John’s and Bryant.

No. 21 Arkansas volleyball sweeps Michigan in Woo Pig Invitational

The No. 21 Razorbacks volleyball team completed the sweep of the Woo Pig Invitational on Sunday.

Getting a day of rest after Friday’s night’s five-set victory over Colorado State in the opener of the Woo Pig Invitational, the No. 21 Arkansas volleyball team completed the weekend sweep with a straight-sets, 25-16, 25-17, 25-23, victory over Big Ten foe Michigan inside Barnhill Arena.

Senior outside-hitter Taylor Head led Arkansas with 17 kills on 34 swings, for a .471 hitting percentage. She also had 11 digs, for a double-double, and added a service ace. Junior libero Courtney Jackson had a season-high 16 digs, while the Razorback defense tallied 7.5 blocks, led by junior middle Sania Petties’ four.

A rowdy crowd of 1,387 fans were on hand Sunday, giving Arkansas a total attendance of 9,750 over the team’s four-game homestand this week. That brings the season total to 12,495, with nine home matches yet to be played.

Arkansas jumped out early against the Wolverines, using a pair of three-point runs to take command, capped off by back-to-back kills from Jill Gillen, as the Hogs went up 11-6. Arkansas kept the pressure on with an ace from Jackson to make it 19-12, the Razorbacks’ biggest lead of the set. Arkansas extended its lead to nine with a kill from Gillen and an ace from junior setter Hannah Hogue that served as the 25-16 set point.

Michigan grabbed an early lead in set two, but Arkansas settled in with a 5-1 run and brought the score to 9-6. A Wolverine attack error, followed by two aces from Petties, made it 13-7 in favor of Arkansas. After Michigan cut the lead to 15-14, the Hogs extended the lead right back to 21-16, highlighted by a pair of aces from graduate Maggie Cartwright. A kill from Head put it away 25-17 for the 2-0 match lead.

Arkansas didn’t allow more than one Wolverine point at a time to start set three, jumping to a 10-5 lead. But Michigan strung together a 6-1 run, which tied it at 11-11. A four-point streak then gave the visitors a 21-18 lead, but the Hogs kept clawing to cut it to one. After a late back-and-forth, Cartwright and Petties blocked a Michigan swing and secured the set, 25-23.

Arkansas will face their first road tests this week, traveling to Bowling Green, Ky., for the University Plaza Invitational. The Hogs will face the College of Charleston and No. 22 Western Kentucky on Friday, then battle Troy on Saturday.

No. 21 Hogs bounce back against Colorado State after hard-fought Wisconsin series

Arkansas needed five sets to dispatch CSU, but the win was solid after the Badgers heartbreak.

How Arkansas would respond Friday night against Colorado State would tell a lot about the Hogs in 2023.

The 21st-ranked team in the nation had pushed No. 1 Wisconsin to the bring on Wednesday before the Badgers swept the two-game series on Thursday. The Hogs truly had the look of a Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament team.

But to come that close and fall short can be tough. That’s why what the Razorbacks did Friday was all that more impressive.

Arkansas needed all five sets to do it, but the Hogs knocked off Colorado State in the opener of the Woo Pig Classic in Barnhill Arena, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 20-25, 15-12. Next up is Michigan on Sunday morning in the weekend quick invitational.

Besides pushing so hard against Wisconsin, the Colorado State match left Arkansas having played 13 sets in 72 hours.

Taylor Head was Arkansas’ best attacker as her 23 kills tied her career high and she chipped in 14 digs to give her a fourth double-double on the season. Jill Gillen joined her with 19 kills and 15 digs. And junior Hannah Hogue had 50 assists.

The final set was almost too close for comfort. Arkansas never scored more than one point at a time until they hit seven. Gillen and Hogue scored three straight points to put Arkansas ahead, 11-10, before they eventually closed things.

The win lifted Arkansas to 3-2 in the early going, with those two losses both coming at the hands of the No. 1 team in the country.

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Arkansas volleyball swept by No. 1 Wisconsin in finale

After a thrilling match on Wednesday, the Hogs were swept in straight sets by top-ranked Wisconsin in the series finale.

Following an impressive showing 24 hours prior, the No. 1 ranked Wisconsin Badgers were able to sweep Arkansas volleyball in straight sets to take the two-game series.

On Wednesday night, the Hogs pushed the Badgers to the limit, forcing a fifth set and ultimately coming up just short of a monumental upset.

Thursday night was a much different story. Despite leading in each of the first two sets, Arkansas struggled to hold on and couldn’t withstand the Wisconsin attack. In the first set, the Badgers used a 5-0 run to secure the win. The second set saw Wisconsin use a 7-1 run to pull away and put the Razorbacks on the brink of being swept.

In the third and final set, Arkansas failed to gain any momentum and, unlike Wednesday, the Badgers were able to end the match in straight sets without any drama.

Following the record-breaking attendance the night before, 2,740 fans showed up to support the team on Thursday. [autotag]Arkansas volleyball[/autotag] is currently ranked eighth in the country in average attendance.

The Hogs will be back in action tomorrow evening when they open up the Wooo Pig Invitational against Colorado State. The match begins at 7:00 p.m. and coverage can be found on SEC Network+.

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No. 1 Wisconsin squeaks by Arkansas volleyball in thriller

Arkansas volleyball took No. 1 ranked Wisconsin to five sets, but ultimately came up short in a thrilling match on Wednesday night.

The No. 21 Arkansas Razorbacks showed the volleyball world that they could hang with the elite teams in the country on Wednesday, nearly knocking off No. 1 Wisconsin in five sets.

The two teams split the first two sets before Wisconsin took a 2-1 advantage following the third set. To the Hogs’ credit, they were able to fight back in the fourth and win, 25-22, to force the fifth and final set. The fifth set saw nine lead changes and was very much a back-and-forth affair until the top-ranked Badgers were able narrowly escape in the end with a 15-13 victory.

Wednesday night’s thrilling match marked the first time in school history that the Razorbacks had ever gone to five sets with the No. 1 ranked team in the country.

4,299 fans were in attendance at Barnhill Arena to watch the match, shattering the program’s previous attendance record of 3,015.

Arkansas will have another chance to knock off the Badgers tonight at 7:00 p.m. The match can be seen live on ESPNU.

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Hogs push No. 1 team in the nation to the brink in front of record crowd

Arkansas gets another shot at the top-ranked Badgers on Thursday night, perhaps in front of another 4,300 fans.

Outside of the national championship, Thursday may have been the biggest day in college volleyball history.

In Fayetteville, that was especially true.

No. 21 Arkansas, long a mid-pack in the SEC with a modest fan base, had a record crowd for its match against No. 1 Wisconsin in Barnhill Arena. The Razorbacks nearly pulled the massive upset, too, ultimately falling in the maximum five sets and by minimum points in the final – 21-25, 25-20, 26-24, 22-25, 13-15.

Hannah Hogue, the reigning SEC Setter of the Week, had three blocks, 14 digs and a career-high 57 assists. Twenty-two of those assists were to Jill Gillen, whose 22 kills placed her third in school history in that statistic.

Arkansas, which has not beaten a No. 1-ranked team in volleyball before, did take its first-ever No. 1-ranked opponent to five sets. Ultimately the Badgers had a total one single more point in the first match of the series.

The Hogs will get another shot Thursday night at 7 p.m. on ESPNU and it may be in front of even more than the record-setting 4,299 fans at Barnhill on Wednesday.

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