Final SEC Road Trip Takes Volleyball to Auburn

November 20, 2015

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Facing its final road trip of the regular season, the University of Arkansas volleyball team heads to Auburn for a Sunday matchup. First serve of the SEC contest is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (CT) at Auburn Arena. The match is scheduled to be streamed live on SEC Network+ and through the WatchESPN app. Winners in three of their last four, the Razorbacks enter the weekend with a 17-10 overall record and 7-8 mark in SEC play.

Sunday’s match will be the second meeting between Arkansas and Auburn (15-11, 7-7 SEC) this season. The teams met Oct. 30 in Fayetteville, a 3-2 win for the Razorbacks on their home floor. In the win, Arkansas rallied from an 0-2 deficit for the 12th time in program history behind a 32-kill performance from junior Pilar Victoria. Arkansas owns a 35-8 advantage in the all-time series, including wins in 17 of 22 matches played at Auburn.

Along with Victoria’s offensive outburst in the previous meeting, fellow junior Breana Jones added nine kills on a .474 hitting percentage. Freshman libero Okiana Valle had a match-high 23 digs in the first match with Auburn to lead a trio of players with at least 10 digs. Victoria completed a double-double effort with 10 digs while senior Monica Bollinger equaled a season high with 13 digs. Junior Ana Sofia Jusino paced the team’s defensive efforts at the net with five total blocks.

Entering the weekend, Victoria is sixth in the NCAA with 4.75 kills per set and ranks eighth among the nation’s attackers with 5.24 points per set. She continues to lead the SEC in both categories. With 11 kills against Missouri in the team’s last outing, Victoria became the fifth player in program history to record 300 kills during an SEC season. Overall, she is 16 kills shy of becoming the ninth Razorback to reach 500 in a single season.

In the Razorbacks’ last four matches, junior Danielle Harbin is hitting .500 (44-6-76) while averaging 3.67 kills per set. The hot streak includes a pair of 13-kill efforts against Mississippi State and LSU, tying her season high in both contests. She and senior Chanell Clark-Bibbs each tallied eight kills in Arkansas’ midweek match against Missouri. Defensively, Harbin has been as effective with 1.25 blocks per set in the last four.

Following the weekend trip, the Razorbacks return to Barnhill Arena for their final two matches of the regular season. The next home match will be Wednesday, Nov. 25, against South Carolina at 7 p.m. (CT). Arkansas’ home finale is Saturday, Nov. 28, against current SEC leader Texas A&M at 1:30 p.m. Individual match tickets for home matches are $5 while UA students and fans 17 years and younger get free admission.

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