Razorbacks Get First Win in Knoxville in Nine Seasons, Stay Undefeated in SEC Play

The No. 10 Razorbacks kicked off back-to-back road matches in convincing fashion as Arkansas downed No. 12 Tennessee on the Vols’ home court in four sets.

The victory was Arkansas’ first in Knoxville in nine seasons, the last coming on Nov. 26, 2014. It was also the first in the Volunteer State for head coach Jason Watson, who took the helm of the Hogs in 2016.

The Razorbacks are now 18-2 on the season, the best-ever 20-game stretch in program history. Arkansas is 8-0 in conference play, and 2-2 against ranked opponents this season, with the only losses to No. 1 Wisconsin.

Senior Taylor Head had a career night for the Hogs with a personal-best 24 kills on 58 swings for a .362 hitting percentage. She also added 21 digs for a double-double, her 12th of the season.

Junior setter Hannah Hogue had a double-double with 49 assists and 28 digs, the most digs in a match by any Razorback this season. She also had two of Arkansas’ four aces on the night.

Set 1

The first set was tight to start and both teams didn’t allow the other to score more than a couple of points at a time until Arkansas broke through with a 4-0 run that featured three kills from Jill Gillen for a 10-6 lead. As the lead grew for the Hogs, the Vols generated some momentum off a couple successful challenges that cut the deficit to one for the home team. Arkansas regrouped with a timeout and a huge solo block by Zoi Evans kicked off a run that pushed the Hogs back ahead by four at 20-16. Tennessee huddled and refused to go quietly, as the Vols tied it at 22-all. The score was tied two more times after that, but ultimately the Vols found a way and finished it 27-25.

Set 2

The second set also began close, but Arkansas pulled away quickly with a 10-5 lead. The Vols gave chase and cut the deficit to as few as two points, but the Hogs maintained composure and strung together a lengthy run that put them up 21-12 over the Vols. The home team added four more points, but ultimately couldn’t catch up to the Razorbacks and a service error by Tennessee gave Arkansas the set 25-16 and tied the match. The Arkansas offense responded well in the frame and hit .256 to the Vols’ .045 in the second.

Set 3

Arkansas found better tempo early in the third and jumped out to a 7-3 lead off an ace from Maggie Cartwright. It didn’t take long for the Vols to catch up and a reversed point swung the momentum in favor of the home team for a bit. The Hogs got back on track and regained the lead for most of the way midway through, but Tennessee used a three-point run and tied it at 19-19. The Hogs took a timeout and regained the lead back at 23-19, and while the Vols came within two, they couldn’t stop the Hogs’ rhythm and Head laid down a kill for the 25-22 victory.

Set 4

The two teams traded points in the fourth to start, and while Arkansas held a lead throughout, Tennessee didn’t allow the Hogs to go up by more than three to the midway point. A Vols attack error ended that though, and Arkansas had a 15-12 advantage at the media timeout. Tennessee got one out of the break, but back-to-back kills from Head pushed the lead to three again. The Vols called time, bounced back and came within one, but the Razorbacks answered with four of the next five. Arkansas added kills from Head and Cartwright following a Tennessee timeout for a 23-17 edge, and the Hogs held on from there. Head put down a pair and finished the fourth 25-20 for the 3-1 match victory.

Up Next

Arkansas continues its road trip with another ranked match-up against No. 20 Kentucky in Lexington on Sunday. First serve is set for noon and the match will be broadcast live on SEC Network.

More Information

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