Hogs Fall in Five to Gators in Series Finale

Arkansas took No. 22 Florida to five sets on Saturday but couldn’t find a way to win as the Gators completed the road sweep. 

With the loss, the Razorbacks are 17-8 on the season and 8-6 in SEC play. The Gators have a 17-6 overall record and 11-2 in conference.

For the second night in a row, junior Jill Gillen led the Hogs in kills with 21 and added eight digs. Sophomore Taylor Head was just behind with 15 kills, nine digs and an ace. 

Freshmen Courtney Jackson and Hannah Hogue also made big impacts on the night. Jackson had a team-high 21 digs, just one shy of her career best, while Hogue came in second with 14 and had one service ace.

The two teams traded points to start, but Arkansas got a 6-4 lead off a kill from Head and Florida attack error that sparked the Hogs. They extended the lead to four with a kill from senior Ellease Crumpton and at the media timeout, the Razorbacks were up 15-10 fresh off a three-point run. Arkansas added an ace from senior Lauren Evans and a kill from Head for a 17-10 edge and Florida called time out. The Razorbacks scored four of the next seven, and Florida couldn’t swing the momentum after another huddle. Three straight Arkansas points to the home team to 24, and a Florida service error ended the first 25-16 for the Hogs.

The second set started strongly in Florida’s favor with a 9-3 advantage early. Arkansas added a point but Florida responded quickly to make it 14-4. The Hogs added a couple of long runs after that, including one for points that had three Head kills and an ace from Evans, but it only cut the deficit to 19-14. While Arkansas was able to spoil set point twice, Florida closed it out with a kill 25-17 and knotted the match 1-1.

The teams traded points to start the third, but Arkansas grabbed a 5-7 lead with a three-point run featuring an ace from freshman Hannah Hogue. The Hogs kept pushing and three straight kills pushed the advantage to 10-6 and sent Florida to a timeout. Arkansas was quick to stifle any momentum that Florida gained and held the Gators to one point at a time. Florida called a timeout down 18-10, but the Hogs strung together three points to force set point. The Gators spoiled it four times, but Gillen shut the door for the 25-18 victory and Arkansas went up 2-1.

The fourth set was all Hogs until the midway point when the Gators started to threaten. Florida used a three-point run to tie it and take a 13-12 lead, but the Hogs stayed on their heels. They tied it twice, but Florida was the first to 15 and had a one-point lead at the media timeout. The Gators then hit the gas and racked up five straight points, but the Razorbacks answered with three and sent Florida to a timeout. Arkansas scored five of the next six for a 22-21 lead, but the Gators put up two kills and two blocks to end the fourth in their favor, 25-22. 

With the match knotted 2-2, Florida jumped out to a 3-1 advantage early in the fifth and decided set. Arkansas kept it tight but couldn’t find a way to take the lead and were down 8-6 at the media timeout. Florida kept control, but a Gator service error and a kill from Crumpton tied it at 11-all. Florida answered, but a kill from junior Maggie Cartwright and a Florida error gave Arkansas its first lead of the set, 13-12. The Gators would regain it just as quickly at 14-13, and while the Razorbacks tied it to force an extra point, two kills sealed the set 16-14 for Florida and the match 3-2.

Up Next
Arkansas heads to College Station on Wednesday for a midweek tilt with Texas A&M. The Hogs then return to Barnhill Arena for a pair of matches against Mississippi State on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m.

More Information
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