Arkansas Falls in Series Finale, Splits with No. 8 Washington

The Razorbacks took on the No. 8 Washington Huskies on Saturday coming off the team’s highest-ranked win in 15 years, and while the Hogs went the distance in the first set, the Huskies emerged victorious in the following three for a 3-1 match victory.

Junior Taylor Head tallied 16 kills for the second consecutive night, also had 15 digs for a double-double and hit .484. Sophomore libero Courtney Jackson led the team with 18 digs and had five service aces, a new career high.

The all-time series between the Hogs and the Huskies is now tied at 2-2.

Set 1
The first set was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams until Washington broke away with a three-point run and went up 8-5. The gap widened, but the Hogs battled back with four straight points a kill from senior Maggie Cartwright and three consecutive aces from Jackson, which tied the set at 14-all. There were six ties from there until the 20th point, but another Jackson ace and three kills brought up set point for Arkansas. Washington came right back with a four-point run to force an Arkansas timeout, and the Huskies huddled once the Hogs were a point away. A Washington error and block from graduates Tatum Shipes and Hailey Dirrigl were enough to push Arkansas over the edge for a 27-25 first set victory.

Set 2
Jackson’s fifth ace of the day knotted the second set at four, but Washington grabbed the lead from there and never wavered. Down 11-5, the Hogs regrouped with a timeout, but the Huskies scored 10 of the next 15 points, which put Arkansas in a 21-10 hole. The Razorbacks added three more points after a timeout but couldn’t mount a comeback and the Huskies won the set 25-13 to even the match at 1-1.

Set 3
The Hogs came out swinging in the third and had a 3-0 cushion to start, which quickly grew to 7-3 after a pair of kills from Cartwright and Head. The Huskies then rattled off a 6-3 run and took the lead, but the Hogs kept it close and went up 12-11. The teams traded the next seven points and it was tied at 15 at the media timeout. A kill by Head and two Washington attack errors forced a Washington timeout with the Razorbacks up three, and the Huskies regrouped to tie the score at 20. Washington then went on a 4-1 tear and took it to set point. A kill from senior Jill Gillen spoiled it, but the Huskies shut down the next opportunity for a 25-22 third set and match lead.

Set 4
Gillen and Cartwright kills tied the set at four and five to start, respectively, but Washington scored seven of the next nine points for a 12-7 lead, which prompted an Arkansas timeout. The Hogs didn’t allow the Huskies to score more than a pair of points at once after that, but also couldn’t generate a long scoring run. Arkansas tacked on three for a 18-15 deficit, which sent Washington to a timeout. The Hogs threatened but couldn’t close the gap by more than three. The Huskies closed out the set and match with a pair of kills, with a 25-20 final score.

Up Next
Arkansas hits the road for its first and only non-conference away action next week, a tournament in Fort Collins, Colo. The Hogs play the host Colorado State Rams on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m., Alabama State at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 2, and Florida Gulf Coast on Sept. 3 at 11:30 a.m. The matches will be streamed on Colorado State’s website via the Mountain West Network.

More Information
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