Hogs Go 2-0 on First Day in Bowling Green

Arkansas played its first two road matches of the season on Friday and came away with two victories.

The No. 17 Razorbacks started the day with a sweep over College of Charleston in the first-ever meeting between the two teams. Arkansas then faced host Western Kentucky that evening and rallied back from a 2-1 deficit for a thrilling five-set win, the second of the season for the Hogs.

Senior outside hitter led Arkansas in both matches with 14 kills against College of Charleston and 21 against WKU. Junior libero Courtney Jackson paced the offense with 19 digs in the opening match and 24 in the nightcap, the former a team high.

The Hogs finished the day with 19.5 blocks over the two matches, and Arkansas’ 14.5 in the WKU match were a season high and the most for the team since Nov. 20, 2022.

Western Kentucky

The first set was extremely tight between the Hogs and Hilltoppers as neither team let the other score more than a pair of points at a time until over halfway through. There were 16 ties and seven lead changes throughout, but Arkansas began to pull away with a three-point run which featured a block and kills from Head and Jill Gillen, which put the Hogs up 20-18 and sent the home team to a timeout. Arkansas didn’t let up from there, and while the Toppers tacked on three more, a Gillen kill pushed it to set point. WKU added another, but a kill from Head made it 25-22 in favor of the Razorbacks.

The momentum quickly shifted WKU’s way in the second set, as the home team jumped out to an 11-5 lead. Arkansas called time, but couldn’t generate many opportunities. Shortly after, the Hilltoppers settled in for a 7-2 run and made it a 21-13 advantage. The Hogs took another timeout and chipped away with three straight points late and spoiled set point, but WKU came through with a 25-17 victory and knotted up the match.

The third set saw six early ties, but Arkansas managed a four-point run highlighted by two blocks, including one solo, from junior Zoi Evans, which made it 12-9 Hogs. Western Kentucky called time and while the Razorbacks added to their advantage initially, the Toppers came firing back with six unanswered points and took the lead. The Hogs tied it again, but WKU staved them off with a five-point run, two away from set point. Gillen fought it off once, but the Hilltoppers ended it 25-20 for a 2-1 match lead.

With the match on the line, the Razorbacks turned on the jets in the fourth set and led by as many as four points to start. The Toppers were never far behind though, and down 12-10, they rattled off five points to turn the tide and took the lead. Arkansas kept chipping, but didn’t begin to threaten until a trio of points gave the Razorbacks the lead back at 20-19. WKU called time, but Arkansas kept pushing until set point. The Toppers spoiled it two times, but Gillen came through with the kill and forced a fifth set.

The Hogs were on a mission in the deciding set and came out swinging for a 3-0 lead. The Toppers chased, but Arkansas answered every time. The Razorbacks held an 8-5 advantage as the teams switched sides, and the Hogs extended it to four shortly after. Two straight Topper points put them within one, and Arkansas regrouped with a timeout. The Hogs got their two point lead back, and a WKU error took it to match point. Gillen then added her final kill of the evening for the 15-12 set and match victory.

College of Charleston

The Hogs and Cougars played close to start the match, but Arkansas quickly settled in. The Razorbacks used a 6-1 run and grabbed a 13-8 lead in the first set that they never looked back from. The advantage was as big as seven points throughout the opening set, and a 4-2 point streak finished it at 25-17 for the Hogs.

Any rust the team had going into the match was fully shaken off by the second set, as there was just one tie score and no lead changes after that. The Razorbacks started on an 8-2 run in the second, which prompted the Cougars to call time. They made a bit of a push not long after and came within five, but the Hogs kept pushing and a kill by Sania Petties made the deficit double digits again at 19-9. The Cougars managed to get to 13 still down 10, but kills by Cartwright and Gillen put the second away 25-13.

Arkansas made quick work of the third set as the Hogs only allowed six points to their 17 midway through. The Razorbacks led by 13 and got to 20 points off a kill from Zoi Evans, and back-to-back from Head put the set and match within three. The Cougars found a bit of a rhythm and strung together three straight points to get to 12, but Arkansas refused to let up and a kill and an ace by Hogue made it 25-12 Hogs for the match win.

Up Next

The Hogs close out the University Plaza Invitational with a match against Troy on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. in Bowling Green.

More Information

Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Volleyball. You can also find the Razorbacks on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Volleyball) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackVB).