Valle Reaches 1,000 Career Digs in Win at UCSB
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Looking to close its weekend road trip with another win, the University of Arkansas volleyball team scored seven of the last 10 points of the fifth set to secure a 3-2 victory over UCSB in the finale of the Thunderdome Classic. With the win, the Razorbacks took two of three during the tournament and improve to 8-2 overall. With her second dig of the match, junior libero Okiana Valle became latest member of the program’s 1,000-digs club.
All-tournament selections Pilar Victoria and Hailey Dirrigl registered 32 and 11 kill, respectively, and were joined in double figured by Elizabeth Pamphile who finished the match with 10 kills. Victoria hit .379 against the Gauchos and completed her fourth-consecutive double-double with 12 digs. Setter Rachel Rippee also had a double-double with 52 assists to go along with a career-high 15 digs.
FINAL
Arkansas 3, UCSB 2 | Box Score
Attendance: 300 | Time: 2:20
Thunderdome Events Center (Santa Barbara, Calif.)
#RazorStats
- Leaders vs UCSB
- Kills: Pilar Victoria – 32 (program-record fifth 30-kill performance of her career)
- Digs: Rachel Rippee, Okiana Valle – 15
- Blocks: Three tied with 3.0
- Double-Doubles vs UCSB
- Rachel Rippee: 52 assists, 15 digs
- Pilar Victoria: 32 kills, 12 digs
Valle totaled 15 digs against UCSB which lifted her career total to 1,013 which is good for 10th place in program history, and just one behind a tie for eighth currently held by Denise Baez (1994-96) and Emily Helm (2012-13). For the third time in four matches, senior Krista Kolbinskie established a new career high with 13 digs. She was also one of five Razorbacks, along with Valle, Logan Brown, Paige Johnson and Kori Ortiz, to serve an ace in the match.
The start of the decisive fifth set featured eight ties with the teams trading points until the score was tied at 8-all. Arkansas created a little space with kills from Pamphile and Victoria which pushed the lead to 10-8 and forced UCSB (0-9) into its first timeout. Victoria and Dirrigl put down back-to-back kills for a 12-9 lead. An attack by the home team went into the net which gave the Razorbacks match point at 14-11, and Victoria secured the win with her final kill of the night.
Next weekend, Arkansas travels to Dallas for the SMU Doubletree Classic to face Sam Houston State and host SMU. The Razorbacks’ next home match is Wed., Sept. 20 when the team opens SEC play against Tennessee at Barnhill Arena.
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