Razorbacks Split Day Two of Arkansas Classic, Finish in Second

The Razorbacks concluded action in the 2021 Arkansas Classic on Saturday evening, and finished with a 2-1 record for second place after they posted a win against Louisiana Tech and a loss to Little Rock. 

There were few similarities between the two matches. The Razorbacks defeated the Lady Techsters of Louisiana in straight sets, while the evening showdown between Arkansas and in-state foe Little Rock needed an extra set, and saw the Razorbacks come back from a 2-0 deficit. 

Arkansas’ 3-0 defeat of Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Friday still gives the Razorbacks a winning record, but the loss revealed some areas that need improvement early on in the season. 

“It’s a match we’re going to look back on and it’s going to really hurt us,” head coach Jason Watson said. “We’re going to have to make it up somewhere down the road. I think we have the talent and ability to do that, but it’s going to hurt.”

Two bright spots on the weekend were junior Maggie Cartwright and sophomore Taylor Head, who were both named to the All-Tournament Team. Cartwright finished the weekend with 17 kills and six service aces. Head had 35 kills, good for second-best on the team, hit .468, and added a double-double in Saturday’s five-set thriller with 19 kills and 14 digs.

Game Two

The battle between Arkansas and Little Rock was tight early in the match, but the Trojans found a rhythm in the first set and went on a four-point run for an 11-9 lead. The Razorbacks stayed close and brought the score to 14-13, but an 8-2 run by the Trojans overpowered the home team and left them in a 22-15 deficit. Arkansas called a timeout, and while the team strung together a four-point tear of its own shortly after, the Razorbacks ran out of time to complete the comeback and fell 22-25 in the opening set.

Arkansas again found itself in a deficit right away in the second set and trailed by as many as five points early on. The Razorbacks began to catch up midway through, sparked by kills from Cartwright and Head and an ace from Cartwright for a 17-16 score. Little Rock then gained some ground back, and was within reach of a win with a 22-19 advantage. It was then that the teams would battle back-and-forth from 22-22 on. They spoiled each others’ set points four times and three kills from Head kept Arkansas alive. The Trojans took a 28-27 lead off of a kill from tournament MVP Laura Jansen, and one more from Nicole Medlin sealed the deal for a 29-27 Little Rock set victory.

The third set was do-or-die for Arkansas, and Little Rock did not make it easy. The teams constantly traded points and picked at each other. By set’s end, there were 15 tie scores and seven lead changes, the most of the match. Arkansas’ biggest lead came at 22-20 off of a Little Rock attack error, and two kills from junior Jill Gillen gained back the Razorback two-point advantage when the Trojans responded. Little Rock took a timeout down 24-22, and while the Trojans did get one point out of the break, senior Ellease Crumpton finished the set and kept Arkansas alive with a 25-23 win.

Neither team showed signs of retreat in the fourth set, and again, neither allowed the other to lead by more than two until the final points. The Razorbacks capitalized off Trojan attack errors midway through the set and built a 4-1 run out of it, which also featured a kill from Head for a 15-13 lead. It didn’t take long for Little Rock to catch up, but a kill from Head and another Cartwright ace regained Arkansas a two-point advantage and sent Little Rock to a timeout. The Razorbacks responded with a kill from Head, and while the Trojans added one of their own, an error brought Arkansas to set point. After another Little Rock timeout, Jansen scored, but a kill from Gillen secured a 25-23 victory for Arkansas and sent the teams to a fifth set.

It looked like the Razorbacks could be the first to 15 early in the fifth set, as they hung on closely with the Trojans. Little Rock then added four straight points for a 7-4 lead, and Arkansas called timeout. The Razorbacks built a streak of their own shortly after with two kills from Gillen and a Trojan attack error, and Little Rock took a timeout up 9-8. The momentum swung in Arkansas’ way, but a successful challenge by Little Rock maintained their lead, 10-9. An error made it a one-point set again for Arkansas, but the team was not able to gain enough ground to overcome the Trojans and fell 15-13 in the final set.

Game One

The Razorbacks grabbed a lead over the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters that they managed to hold for the entirety of the set early on. Redshirt senior Hailey Dirrigl got the scoring going for Arkansas with her first kill and ace of the season. Graduate transfer Abigail Archibong added two aces as well, and Arkansas took a 16-10 lead. The home team kept the pressure on from there, and two kills from Crumpton and a kill and back-to-back aces from Gillen pushed the advantage to 21-12 and sent Tech to a timeout. The Techsters were only able to add two more points, and an attack error ended the set in the Razorbacks’ favor, 25-14.

The second set began closer between the two teams, and they steadily traded points until a kill from Gillen gave the Razorbacks a 11-9 lead. The Techsters began to threaten in the middle of the frame and tied the score at 15-all on an ace, but an 8-1 run led by Arkansas quickly stifled Tech. In that span, Arkansas added three kills from Gillen and three consecutive from Crumpton for a 23-16 advantage. The Techsters attempted to regroup with a timeout, but the Razorbacks quickly put the set away with a final score of 25-17. Arkansas hit a whopping .567 to Louisiana Tech’s .190 and registered 18 kills.

The third set was tied early before a five-point streak put the home team up 8-4. The Techsters started to gain on the Razorbacks just past the midway point and tied the score at 15-15, but Arkansas tallied seven of the next nine points, with three kills from Gillen and one each from senior setter Gracie Ryan and redshirt sophomore Natalie Perdue. Louisiana Tech added two points, but a 3-0 run from the Razorbacks with kills from Gillen and Crumpton shut the door. Arkansas won 25-19, and the match 3-0.

Up Next

The Razorbacks begin a long stint on the road with the Bobcat Classic, hosted by Montana State, next weekend. Arkansas plays Montana State at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2, Utah State on Friday at 4 p.m. and Portland on Saturday at 11 a.m.

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