Razorbacks Take On Cougars, Hilltoppers, Trojans in Bluegrass State

The Hogs will have their first road tests this weekend as No. 17 Arkansas is set to play College of Charleston, Western Kentucky and Troy in the University Plaza Invitational Friday and Saturday from Bowling Green.

The Razorbacks will have a doubleheader with the Cougars and host Hilltoppers on Friday, with matches at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively. They close out the tournament with a tilt against Troy on Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. It’s just the second meeting ever between Arkansas and Western Kentucky, and the first between the Hogs and College of Charleston and Troy.

Friday evening’s match with the Hilltoppers will be streamed on ESPN+. The other two matches will not be streamed, but live stats will be available.

Arkansas comes into the weekend’s action ranked No. 17, the team’s highest mark since 1999. The Hogs are the second-highest ranked SEC team in this week’s coaches poll, behind No. 3 Florida.

Scouting the Series: College of Charleston

  • First-ever meeting between Razorbacks and Cougars
  • CoC has already played eight matches on the season and has gone 3-5
  • Last competed on Tuesday and earned a sweep over Charleston Southern

Stat Leaders — College of Charleston

  • Kills/set: Lexi Wierzbicki | 3.78 | 87
  • Assists/set: Hannah Scott | 8.36 | 117
  • Digs/set: Elli Kinney | 3.32 | 83
  • Blocks/set: Sofie Vogel | 0.73 | 16
  • Aces/set: Olivia Van Der Werff | 0.67 | 6

Scouting the Series: Western Kentucky

  • Both the Hogs and Hilltoppers made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022
  • WKU has a ranked win over Marquette this season
  • Just the second-ever meeting between Arkansas and Western Kentucky, and the first in the Bluegrass State

Stat Leaders — WKU

  • Kills/set: Paige Briggs | 3.30 | 66
  • Assists/set: Callie Bauer | 10.21 | 245
  • Digs/set: Kelsey Brangers | 3.04 | 73
  • Blocks/set: Logan Grevengoed | 0.87 | 20
  • Aces/set: Paige Briggs | 0.50 | 10

Scouting the Series: Troy

  • First contest between Arkansas and Troy
  • The Trojans have already played two ranked teams this season in Louisville and Washington State
  • Third consecutive away tournament for Troy to begin the 2023 slate

Stat Leaders — Troy

  • Kills/set: Amiah Butler | 3.75 | 60
  • Assists/set: Janelle Stuempfig | 9.81 | 157
  • Digs/set: Jaci Mesa | 2.38 | 38
  • Blocks/set: Sydney Austin | 1.75 | 14
  • Aces/set: Olivia Grantham | 0.25 | 4

Stat Leaders — Arkansas

  • Kills/set: Jillian Gillen | 4.55 | 100
  • Assists/set: Hannah Hogue | 10.95 | 241
  • Digs/set: Taylor Head | 3.41 | 75
  • Blocks/set: Zoi Evans | 0.82 | 18
  • Aces/set: Taylor Head/Hannah Hogue | 0.41 | 9

More Information

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