Tag: Hannah Hogue

Jill Gillen, Taylor Head named All-Americans, Hogue honorable mention

Arkansas’ best volleyball season saw three players named All-Americans.

The greatest season in Arkansas volleyball history resulted in some personal honors for the players, as well.

Outside hitters Jill Gillen and Taylor Head were both named All-Americans on Wednesday and setter Hannah Hogue was named All-American honorable mention. Gillen’s and Head’s inclusion marks the first time Arkansas has eer had two players from the same team named to the honor. It’s also the first time since 1998 the Razorbacks have had any player named to the honor.

Gillen, named to the second team, led Arkansas in kills, aces and points. Her career-kill total, 2,075, is the second in school history and she is one of just five players in SEC history to reach the 2,000-kill mark.

Head was right behind her in most stat accumulations. She was second on the team in kills and digs and her career-kill total of 1,537 is fifth in school history while her career-dig total of 1,272 is sixth. Head notched 22 double-doubles in 2023, the most an Arkansas player has had since 1999.

Hogue assisted on 1,413 points in 2023, the second highest total in Division I and the seventh most in a single season in Arkansas history. She was named SEC Setter of the Week five times and her 51 aces were second on the team behind Gillen.

Arkansas finished the year 28-6 overall and 15-3 in SEC play. The Hogs made the Elite Eight for the first time in school history, falling to No. 1 and national powerhouse Nebraska.

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.

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+.