Arkansas Falls in Four Against Tennessee
Despite a hard-fought 33-31 first set victory, the Razorbacks fell 3-1 to the No. 21 Tennessee Lady Volunteers in the first match of the weekend between the two teams on Saturday.
Tennessee is now 1-0 in SEC play, while Arkansas has one win and one loss, with an overall record of 10-3. The rematch between the Razorbacks and the Vols is set for 11 a.m. on Sunday and will air live on SEC Network.
Junior Jill Gillen posted a double-double in the match with 21 kills and 13 digs. Sophomore Taylor Head matched Gillen in digs and also added 15 kills.
The match began with a 6-3 Tennessee lead, and while Arkansas tied the score at seven, it didn’t last long, and the Lady Vols utilized a 6-1 run to go up 13-8. Out of the media timeout, the Razorbacks strung together three points and took a lead of their own, 16-15. While Tennessee continued to apply pressure, the Hogs held the lead from there. Tennessee then made it 24-23, and with set point on the line, Arkansas headed to a timeout. After that, there were a whopping eight tie scores. A Tennessee service error made it 31-31 with an opportunity for Arkansas to close it out. A Vols error pushed the score to 32-31, and a kill from Gillen finished the extended set 33-31 in favor of the Razorbacks.
Arkansas jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the second set, and the Razorbacks continued to build on the lead until Tennessee knotted the score at 13-13. The Lady Vols gained some momentum and a lead of their own at 19-15, which sent the Hogs to a timeout. The action stayed close with neither team able to get a run of more than two points going, but Arkansas couldn’t catch up. A Tennessee kill and ace put the set away 25-19 for the Vols and tied the match 1-1.
The Hogs opened the fourth set with all of the momentum and a 5-1 lead, which included two kills from Gillen and an ace from freshman Courtney Jackson. The Vols quickly made it 5-4, but the Razorbacks kept their foot on the gas and used a kill and an ace from senior Lauren Evans to regain a three-point lead at 9-6. Arkansas held off Tennessee through the midway point, but a Hogs service error and a Volunteers kill tied the score at 16-16. There were two more ties after that, but Tennessee broke through for good with a 20-19 lead that it would hold through the end. Arkansas added two more points, but the home team added five for the 25-21 set victory and 2-1 match lead.
Other than scoring the first point, Arkansas never led in the fourth and deciding set, and Tennessee showed no mercy. The Hogs couldn’t score more than one point at a time, and Arkansas called a timeout down 20-11. The Volunteer lead grew to as many as 11 points as Tennessee headed to set and match point up 24-13. A kill from Gillen stopped the Tennessee momentum for a moment, but an Arkansas error ended the set 25-14 for the Vols and the match 3-1. The Hogs hit just .033 to the home team’s .500 in the fourth.
Up Next
The two teams meet again for the series finale at 11 a.m. on Sunday. The match will be broadcast live on SEC Network and live stats will be provided by Tennessee.
Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Volleyball. You can also find the Hogs on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Volleyball) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackVB).
