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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