Arkansas Falls in series finale, splits with No. 8 Washington

The Razorbacks took on the No. 8 Washington Huskies on Saturday and earned the team’s highest-ranked win in 15 years. While the Hogs went the distance in the first set, the Huskies emerged victorious in the following three, 3-1 in victory.

Junior Taylor Head had 16 kills for the second straight night, also had 15 digs for a double-double and hit .484. Sophomore libero Courtney Jackson led the team with 18 digs and had five serve aces, a new career high.

The all-time series between the Hogs and the Huskies is now 2-2.

set 1
The first set was a back-and-forth battle between the two teams until Washington broke away with a three-point run to take an 8-5 lead. The gap widened, but the Hogs fought back with four straight points, a kill from senior Maggie Cartwright and three straight aces from Jackson, tying the set at 14-all. There were six draws from there through the 20th point, but another Jackson ace and three kills brought the set point for Arkansas. Washington came back immediately with a four-point run to force a timeout in Arkansas, and the Huskies cowered when the Hogs were a point away. A mistake in Washington and a block from grads Tatum Shipes and Hailey Dirrigl were enough to edge Arkansas over the edge for a 27-25 first set win.

sentence 2
Jackson’s fifth ace of the day closed the second set at four, but Washington took the lead from there and never wavered. Trailing 11-5, the Hogs regrouped with a time-out, but the Huskies scored 10 of the next 15 points, putting Arkansas in a 21-10 hole. The Razorbacks added three more points after a timeout but couldn’t make a comeback and the Huskies won the set 25-13 to level the match 1-1.

set 3
The Hogs came out in the third swing and had a 3-0 cushion early on that quickly grew to 7-3 after two kills from Cartwright and Head. The Huskies then ran ahead on a 6-3 run and took the lead, but the Hogs held them tight and took a 12-11 lead. The teams traded for the next seven points and it was 15 points at the media timeout. A kill by Head and two Washington offensive errors forced a Washington timeout with three razorbacks, and the Huskies regrouped to level the score at 20. Washington then ripped 4-1 and took it to the set point. A kill from senior Jill Gillen spoiled it, but the Huskies closed the next opportunity for a 25-22 third set and match lead.

set 4
Gillen and Cartwright’s kills started at four and five, respectively, but Washington scored seven of the next nine points for a 12-7 lead, prompting a time-out for Arkansas. The Hogs didn’t let the Huskies get more than two points at a time after that, but couldn’t generate a long scoring run either. Arkansas bet on three for an 18-15 deficit, which sent Washington to a timeout. The hogs threatened but couldn’t catch more than three. The Huskies ended the set and match with two kills and a final score of 25-20.

Next
Arkansas heads to its first and only away non-conference event next week, a tournament in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Hogs will play the host Colorado State Rams on Thursday, September 1 at 7 p.m., Alabama State on September 2 at approximately 4:30 p.m. and the Florida Gulf Coast on September 3 at 11:30 a.m. Games will be broadcast on the Colorado State website via the Mountain West Network.

More information
Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on 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).

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