No. 21 Tennessee Up Next for Volley Hogs
The Razorbacks hit the road again this weekend for a pair of conference matches against the No. 21 Tennessee Volunteers in Knoxville.
Saturday’s match is set for 3 p.m. CDT and Sunday’s finale will begin at 11 a.m. The match is the first in Tennessee’s SEC schedule, while Arkansas opened conference play against LSU at home on Wednesday and won 3-1.
Tennessee is currently 8-2 and ranked No. 21. The Lady Volunteers entered the AVCA Coaches Poll rankings on Sept. 6 after they defeated then-No. 9 Baylor in five sets, and lost a close match to No. 7 Pitt the following day, also in five. Tennessee last played on Sept. 18 and lost 0-3 to No. 7 Purdue.
The Lady Vols returned each of its starters from the 2020 season this year. Junior Morgahn Fingall leads Tennessee with 4.26 kills per set, fourth-best in the SEC. Senior setter Natalie Hayward comes just behind Arkansas’ Gracie Ryan in the conference at No. 2 in assists and assists per set, with 382 and 11.29, respectively.
With two matches in hand, the Hogs have more total kills (634) and assists (579) than the Lady Vols, but Tennessee has the advantage per set in those areas. The two teams are tied in blocks with 96 each. Arkansas has the edge at the service line, with 1.89 aces per set (85 total), an SEC best, to Tennessee’s 28 (0.82).
Saturday’s match will be streamed on SEC Network+ and Sunday’s competition will air live and stream on SEC Network. Live stats for both matches will be available.
Last Time Out
The Razorbacks returned to Barnhill Arena after a long three weeks on the road for the team’s SEC opener on Wednesday and came away with a 3-1 victory over LSU. Arkansas lost the first set 25-17, but gutted out a 27-25 win in the second, and won the third and fourth 25-19 and 25-20. Junior Jill Gillen led the Hogs with 25 kills and a season-high four aces. Sophomore Taylor Head and senior setter Gracie Ryan both posted double-doubles, Head with 11 kills and 13 digs and Ryan with 50 assists and 19 digs. Freshman Courtney Jackson also added a match and career high 22 digs.
Up Next
Arkansas comes back to Barnhill Arena for a lone Saturday match against Georgia on Oct. 2 at 5 p.m. Designated as the team’s Breast Cancer Awareness Night, the match will feature a pink theme, will honor survivors pregame and provide those who RSVP with free tickets, and the first 100 fans will receive a pink t-shirt. Arkansas also welcomes back its alumni for Alumni Weekend, and Saturday marks the third area school night.
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Razorback Ticket Center at 479.575.5151.
Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Volleyball. You can also find the Hogs on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Volleyball) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackVB).
