Arkansas’ Season Ends with 3-1 Loss to Oregon
In the Razorbacks’ first second round NCAA Tournament appearance since 2005, the Hogs stole a set from the third-seeded Oregon Ducks, but eventually fell 3-1 to conclude the season.
The Razorbacks close out 2022 21-9, the most wins for the team in 10 years and most under head coach Jason Watson. Two of those wins were over top 10 teams (No. 8 Washington and No. 7 Georgia Tech), the first time in program history.
In addition to their performance on the court, the Hogs saw unprecedented fan support with a new season ticket record, new total attendance record (19,607) and new average attendance record (1,225) over their 16 home matches at Barnhill Arena.
Taylor Head and Jill Gillen both had 12 kills on the night in Eugene and both registered double-doubles, Head with 12 digs and Gillen with 10.
Graduate middle Tatum Shipes had one block solo and two block assists, along with six kills, in her last match as a Razorback. Hailey Dirrigl sent her career off with five kills, and setter Gracie Ryan had 17 assists.
Set 1
The opening set was a battle early on with seven ties. Arkansas settled in quickly and strung together a four-point run, capped off by an ace from Ryan, and went up 10-7. Oregon got one back, but the Razorbacks stayed hot and strung together a three-point run for a 13-8 lead, which sent the Ducks to a timeout. The Hogs never let up from there, led by as many as eight points, and limited Oregon to a .000 hitting percentage on the set. A block by Maggie Cartwright and Abigail Archibong closed it out 25-19 in favor of the Hogs.
Set 2
The back-and-forth continued in the second, but Oregon went on a four-point run and took a 12-9 lead, which prompted an Arkansas timeout. The Ducks added five more points after that, until the Hogs caught a break with an Oregon service error. Oregon continued to roll and got to set point at 24-17. The Razorbacks spoiled it three times and came within four, but a Duck block sealed it 25-20 for the home team and tied the match at 1-1.
Set 3
The Hogs came out with a vengeance in the second set and opened with a 5-0 run, which featured two service aces from Head. Oregon took a timeout and while the Razorbacks doubled the lead at 8-4, the Ducks scored eight of the next 10 for a 12-10 advantage. Arkansas used a four-point run with a Courtney Jackson ace to tie it at 15-all, but Oregon quickly pushed it to 19-16, and the Hogs called time again. The Ducks extended the lead to six and reached set point, which the Hogs thwarted twice to get over 20. Oregon then laid down a kill for another 25-20 set victory and the Ducks went up 2-1 in the match.
Set 4
The two teams traded points to start the fourth, but Oregon quickly found its groove and went on four-point streak for the 12-6 lead. Arkansas took a timeout, but the Hogs couldn’t get anything going and found themselves down by 11, which forced another timeout. The Hogs had no answer for the Ducks and tacked on just three more points. Oregon shut the door on the fourth 25-9 and punched its ticket to the next round.
More Information
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