Arkansas Battles Until the End, Falls in Five to Kentucky

For the second time in as many days, the Volley Hogs took the No. 5 team in the country to five sets. While the Razorbacks hung in for as long as they could, the Kentucky Wildcats narrowly won the extra set 16-14 and defeated Arkansas 3-2 again.

The Hogs move to 14-6 overall and 5-4 in the SEC with Saturday’s loss and 0-2 finish on the series. The Wildcats, who are also the 2020 national champions, remain undefeated in the SEC with an 8-0 record. 

Despite the scores, the pair of matches had plenty of positives for Arkansas. The team had not won a set over Kentucky since 2013 prior to the weekend, and won four of 10 this time around. 

Junior Jill Gillen led the Hogs Saturday with 19 kills, and was the top performer of the weekend with 36 total. She also matched her season high in aces on Saturday with four. Sophomore Taylor Head recorded her second double-double of the series with 16 kills and 18 digs.

The Hogs came out strong in the first set and grabbed the first four points for an early advantage. Arkansas sustained the momentum for a bit, but Kentucky tied it at 9-9 and briefly took a lead. Gillen regained it twice for the Hogs after the Wildcats evened it twice, and Arkansas went up 12-11. Kentucky then went on a 7-1 run and Arkansas called a timeout down 18-13. The Hogs couldn’t get much going after that, and after another timeout at 22-17, Kentucky scored three of the next five points and closed the set 25-19 for a 1-0 match lead.

The second set was tight to start and the two teams tied the score six times by the 10th point. Kentucky stayed close, but Arkansas regained the lead each time. A kill from Gillen made it 18-15 for some insurance for the Hogs, and while the Wildcats came within one a couple of times, a pair of Hogs points made it 21-18 and sent Kentucky to a timeout. Arkansas added two kills from Cartwright, an ace from senior Lauren Evans, and a Kentucky service error finished it out 25-19 in favor of the Razorbacks and evened the match.

The Hogs and Cats again traded points early in the third set, but Kentucky gained a three-point advantage at 6-3. Arkansas played catch-up from there, and while the Razorbacks tied it at 9-9 and 11-11, Kentucky kept pushing and was up 15-13 at the media timeout. From there, Arkansas turned the tide and two kills from Head and Gillen and Head’s second ace of the day put the Hogs up 17-16. Kentucky knotted it, but Arkansas answered with two points and the Wildcats called a timeout. Kentucky regained the lead, but it didn’t last long as Arkansas tied it at 21 and 22. The Hogs scored the next three points for a 25-22 and a 2-1 match lead.

Arkansas capitalized on a four-point run early in the fourth set, featuring two aces from Gillen, to take a 5-2 lead. Kentucky stayed on the Hogs’ heels, though, and pulled away quickly for a 15-10 lead at the media timeout. The Wildcats tacked on two more after that and sent the Razorbacks to a huddle. The Hogs threatened and came within four off a kill from Head, but Kentucky scored five straight for the 25-16 final and a 2-2 match.

While Kentucky was dominant for much of Friday’s fifth and deciding set, Saturday’s was a different story. There were nine ties throughout, and the extra set went to an extra point. The Hogs got the first point, but Kentucky took the first real lead of the set at 4-2. Arkansas then put up four unanswered points, and Kentucky took a timeout. The Hogs extended the lead, but the Cats tied it up at 9-9 after a challenge. Arkansas regained a two-point lead thanks to two kills from Gillen and one from Cartwright, but Kentucky fired back two points to knot the set 12-12. After an Arkansas timeout, the teams traded service errors and the Hogs held a narrow 14-13 lead, but Kentucky tied it on a kill. With match point on the line, the Cats delivered another, and ended the fifth 16-14 and secured the series sweep.

Up Next
The Hogs return to Barnhill Arena for a midweek match-up against Missouri on Wednesday, Oct. 27. First serve is set for 7 p.m., and the action will be broadcasted live on SEC Network. 

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