Lady'Back volleyball looks for win at Tennessee

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Arkansas volleyball team is in need of a win and the Lady Razorbacks are looking for it at Tennessee Sunday. The Lady’Backs fell to 6-9 on the year and 0-5 in the Southeastern Conference after a three-game loss at Kentucky Friday. Arkansas has lost eight matches in a row and is still searching for a win league play. Tennessee enters the match 7-5 overall and 2-3 in the SEC. “The thing about athletics is that you always have another chance to get better and make changes,” said Arkansas head coach Chris Poole. “That’s what we’re looking to do this weekend. The thing about the unforced errors is that it snowballs. We are starting to lose confidence in ourselves. This is completely uncharted water for this team, this program and for me as a coach. We are working on the skills you need to be successful but we are also trying to focus on the mental things. That’s were are breakdowns seem to be.” Arkansas is hitting just .221 on the year but the overall statistics show that the Lady’Backs are holding opponents to a .226 mark. The numbers show a dramatic change, however, in SEC play where Arkansas is hitting .169 while opponents are hitting .267. The Lady’Backs have battled unforced errors including hitting errors, service errors and several opponent service aces in their last five matches. Those mistakes have come at critical points in the game, often when scores are close. “We are still playing hard for about half the game,” said Poole. “Then we seem to fade. We can’t finish games and seem to commit errors at critical times.” Arkansas has a long way to go in a short season. The Lady’Backs have had its last four SEC matches away from home finally returning to the friendly confines of Barnhill Arena next weekend hosting Georgia Oct. 5, at 7:00 p.m. It is the first of four consecutive home matches that includes Auburn, Florida and South Carolina. Sunday’s match airs live in Northwest Arkansas on KXUA, 88.3 FM. It can also be heard live on the internet at LADYBACKS.COM. For more information about Arkansas volleyball, log on to LADYBACKS.COM.