Hogs Drop SEC Opener to Tigers

In what was a tight battle from start to finish, the No. 20 Razorbacks battled back to force a fifth set in their opening SEC match, but LSU came away victorious 3-2 and handed Arkansas its first loss since Aug. 27.

It was the first five-set match of the season for the Hogs, and they are now 9-2. LSU moves to 7-4 on the season.

Senior outside hitter Jill Gillen tallied 21 kills and posted 15 digs for her third-straight double-double. Graduate Hailey Dirrigl came just behind Gillen with 14 kills and a team-best .273 hitting percentage.

Arkansas’ defense was a high point of the night as the Hogs outblocked the Tigers 13-11, the team’s second straight match with 13 blocks. Graduate middle blocker Tatum Shipes had a team-best seven block assists, graduate Abigail Archibong had two solo blocks and two block assists for four total, and both Dirrigl and Gillen also registered solo blocks.

Set 1
Arkansas came out blazing in the first set and took a 7-2 lead quickly, which featured a four-point run. LSU took a timeout but couldn’t shift the momentum and the Hogs grew the lead to seven points at 11-4 thanks to a kill from senior Maggie Cartwright. The Tigers began to threaten with three straight points and came within one, and while Arkansas got a point back from a service error, the home team tied it up at 16-all. The Hogs huddled and it was close from there, but the Razorbacks pulled away and hit 20 first. Down by two, the Tigers called time but Arkansas rattled off four straight for set point. LSU answered with three, but junior Taylor Head finished off the first set 25-21 Hogs with a kill to keep Arkansas undefeated in first sets through 11 matches this season.

Set 2
The second set was as tight as possible through the first 12 points, in which there were 11 ties between the two teams. LSU then found some fire and strung together three straight points for a 15-12 lead at the media timeout. Arkansas got one, but two Hog errors gave the Tigers their biggest lead of the match to that point at 17-13, and the Razorbacks tried to regroup with a timeout. Arkansas couldn’t generate any substantial runs to catch LSU, and the Tigers closed out the fourth with three straight points for a 25-18 victory and a match tie at 1-1.

Set 3
Yet again, neither team gave the other any breathing room early in the third frame, but Arkansas squeaked out a 5-3 lead off an LSU error and a kill from Gillen. It didn’t last long, though, as the Tigers hit a 5-1 stride to quickly go up by three, which sent Arkansas to a timeout. The Hogs chased but never really found their footing from there, and LSU held the lead. Down 21-17, Arkansas huddled again but LSU continued to roll, reaching set point at 24-18. Not going down without a fight, the Hogs stormed back and erased five set points, twice by Gillen kills, and Dirrigl tied it all up at 24-all. She did it again at 25-25 and Head tied it at 26, but back-to-back LSU kills sealed the 28-26 set victory for the Tigers and put Arkansas in a 2-1 hole for just the second time this season.

Set 4
LSU wasted no time in the fourth set and led for most of the beginning, but the Hogs heated up and scored five straight points with two kills from Cartwright and one each from Head and Gillen for a 12-11 lead. The Tigers wanted time and scored the first point out of the break, but Arkansas stayed vigilant and strung together three points to regain the advantage. LSU caught up and capitalized on two Arkansas errors to grab a one-point lead at 18-17, which prompted a Razorback timeout. The Hogs used an ace from Shipes and a Dirrigl kill to go up 20-18, but the Tigers tied it back up shortly after. An LSU error and an ace from sophomore setter Hannah Hogue gave the two-point lead back to the Hogs, which they held from there. A pair of Gillen kills for the 24th and 25th point made it 25-21 Razorbacks and forced a fifth set.

Set 5
The Hogs found themselves up by two early in the fifth and final set, but the Tigers were never far behind. They used two Arkansas errors to tie it at 4-4, and from there neither team led by more than a point halfway through the set. LSU then pulled away by two and hit 10 first at 10-8, and Arkansas called time. The Hogs blazed back with a Gillen kill and an ace from Courtney Jackson, and LSU huddled with the score tied at 11-all. Arkansas took a 12-11 and then 13-12 lead, but a Razorback service error tied it at 13-13. LSU took the lead, and Arkansas used a final timeout to try to right the ship, but the Tigers scored out of the break for the 15-13 set victory and 3-2 match win.

Up Next
The Hogs host their first home SEC match of the season against Ole Miss on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 3 p.m. at Barnhill Arena. The match has been moved up two hours to accommodate Razorback fans who plan to attend Saturday’s contest and catch the No. 10 Razorback football team take on the No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies at 6 p.m. on ESPN.

Adult tickets are only $5 and kids, 17 and under, get in free. Tickets can be purchased online or through the Razorback Ticket Center at (479) 575-5151. Any ticket inquiries can be addressed by phone or at raztk@uark.edu. The match will also be streamed live on SEC Network Plus.

More Information
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