FAYETTEVILLE – No. 21 Arkansas proved that they could compete with the best of the best as the Hogs took the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers to five sets and came up just short on Wednesday.
Arkansas took the first set 25-21, and Wisconsin answered with a 25-20 victory in the second set. The two teams went toe-to-toe in the third, but the Badgers came away with an extra-point victory of 26-24. The Razorbacks roared back and came away with a 25-22 edge and forced a fifth, which saw nine lead changes. Ultimately Wisconsin battled back for the 15-13 win and match victory.
Graduate hitter Jill Gillen led the team with 22 kills, which places her as No. 3 all-time in career kills in program history. Gillen also had 14 digs on the night for a double-double. Senior hitter Taylor Head was second on the team in kills with 14 and had a team-high 24 digs for third double-double of the season.
Junior and SEC Setter of the Week Hannah Hogue had herself another stellar outing with a career high 57 assists, three blocks and 14 digs for another double-double.
Junior middle blocker Sania Petties played a huge role on both offense and defense and had a career night with a personal best 14 kills and hit .400. She also contributed four blocks, highest on the team.
Those weren’t the only records set in Barnhill on Wednesday as 4,299 fans were in attendance for the match, blowing the previous program high of 3,015 out of the water.
It’s the first time Arkansas has ever gone to five sets with a No. 1, and the two teams will have a rematch on Thursday at 7 p.m. The match will air live on ESPNU.
Set 1
There were five tie scores in the opening set, but Arkansas began to pull away with a three-point run driven by a kill and two aces from Head. The teams never let the other get too hot, but the Hogs also never let the Badgers lead after that. A Wisconsin service error and an ace by Hogue made it 20-17 Razorbacks, and Wisconsin called time. The Badgers came within one, but Arkansas locked in and scored back-to-back for set point. Wisconsin took another timeout, but a kill by Head sealed the first set 25-21 for the Hogs.
Set 2
Arkansas led for most of the set but hit a wall after the 14th point. Wisconsin took advantage of a six-point run and went up 17-14, which sent the Hogs to a timeout. The Hogs tacked on six more points to hit 20 but couldn’t catch the Badgers. They ended up taking the set 25-20 to even the match at 1-1.
Set 3
The third set started tight, but the Hogs added a trio of kills from Cartwright and Petties for an early 7-4 lead. Wisconsin used a timeout to regroup, but couldn’t stop Arkansas’ run, which the Hogs extended to 10-4. The Badgers gave chase and came within two at 14-12, which prompted a Razorback timeout. Wisconsin stayed on Arkansas’ heels, but the Razorbacks used an ace from Maggie Cartwright and went up 21-18. Three straight points brought it to set point, but Wisconsin turned on the jets and made it 24-22. Despite a huddle, the Badgers continued to push and closed out a seven-point run with set point at 26-24.
Set 4
Down but not out, Arkansas used two three-point runs early in the fourth for an 11-7 lead. The Hogs didn’t allow Wisconsin to score more than two points at a time and went up by as many as six. There’s was no catching the home team after that, and the Razorbacks came two away with a kill from Gillen. Wisconsin called time and added one more, but a kill from Wisconsin native Cartwright finished it 25-21 and forced a fifth.
Set 5
The Hogs grabbed the first two points of the deciding set, but the Badgers didn’t back down. The score was tied four times from there, and Wisconsin used a three-point run and went up 8-6. The teams switched sides, and Arkansas began to gain some momentum. Three straight put Arkansas up 10-9, and Wisconsin huddled. The Hogs were up by one three times, and it was 13-12 off a kill from Cartwright, but the Badgers finished it out with three straight for the 15-13 victory and match win.
Arkansas took on the Lady Badgers in another thriller on Thursday. Watch for this story later today on RNN Sports!
Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly and in its entirety from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Emily Polglaze.
