Arkansas Tames Tide, Takes Possession of SEC
The Hogs came into Sunday evening’s match riding the team’s longest win streak in 20 years and kept it going as the No. 12 Razorbacks defeated the Arkansas Crimson Tide 3-1.
Arkansas is now 17-2 and 7-0 in the SEC. After No. 10 Tennessee was swept by Kentucky earlier in the day, the Hogs are the only undefeated team left in the conference. The 7-0 start to SEC play is Arkansas’ best since 2003.
Senior Taylor Head led the way for the Razorbacks with 18 kills and hit .361 on the night. Coming into the match, she needed just six kills to enter the top 10 of the program career kills list but ended up jumping two spots to No. 9 and now sits at 1,311 total.
Arkansas had 12 blocks on the day, and junior middles Sania Petties and Zoi Evans each had six apiece. They both also had great nights on offense, as Petties contributed 10 kills and Evans had six, a career high for Zoi.
Set 1
While the Tide got the first three points of the set, the Razorbacks rattled off nine straight and got an early advantage that sent Alabama to a timeout. The Tide came within five, but the Hogs scored six of the next eight and took a 17-8 lead, which prompted another Alabama timeout. The Tide got one back, but a five-point streak that featured three Jill Gillen kills and an ace from Hannah Hogue made it 22-9 Arkansas. Alabama did reach double digits, but three straight Razorback points and a Head kill ended the set 25-10 in favor of the home team.
Set 2
Arkansas didn’t let up in the second set and got an early lead that the Hogs just kept growing. They went up by as many as seven through the midway point, and never let the Tide score more than two at a time. A six-point run highlighted by two kills and two blocks pushed the advantage to 12, and Alabama couldn’t catch up. The Tide tacked on three more points and reached 13, but a Head kill again finished off the set and put the Hogs up 2-0 in the match.
Set 3
The Tide began to find a rhythm in the third set and the Hogs found themselves down 9-6 after Alabama strung together four straight points. Arkansas chased from there on out and couldn’t generate any prolonged runs. As the Tide came within three points of victory, the Razorbacks took a timeout and regrouped. Arkansas then scored four of the next five points and cut the lead to two. Alabama huddled, and an Arkansas service error gave set point to the Tide. The Razorbacks spoiled it two times, but an Alabama kill closed it 25-23 for the Tide and made the match 2-1.
Set 4
Alabama grabbed the early advantage in set four, but the Hogs answered with an 8-1 run with four kills and two blocks for a 10-4 lead. The Razorbacks stifled any opportunities that the Tide tried to capitalize on, and an Alabama service error made it 15-7 and sent the Tide to a timeout. Alabama got one back, but the Hogs scored two more, and then back-to-back service errors from Gillen put Arkansas up in double digits at 19-8. The Razorbacks just kept on pushing and were ahead by 13 as they got to set point. Alabama added a pair of points, but a Tide attack error handed the fourth to Arkansas 25-13 and ended the match 3-1.
Up Next
Arkansas has a five-match road swing for almost two weeks, which kicks off with two against ranked teams at No. 10 Tennessee on Friday, Oct. 20 and at No. 13 Kentucky on Sunday, Oct. 22.
More Information
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