FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas volleyball has been picked to finish right where it left off as the Razorbacks have been tabbed fifth in the preseason SEC poll.
The Hogs received 101 votes in the poll, which are cast by the conference’s coaches. Arkansas comes in behind Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia to round out the top five. It is the fifth time in head coach Jason Watson’s eight seasons that the Razorbacks have been picked to finish in the top five of the conference.
Arkansas closed out 2022 tied for fourth in the SEC with an 11-7 record. The Hogs went 21-9 for the season and ended the year in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, their first appearance since 2013 and first victory since 2005. Arkansas posted wins over two top 10 teams for the first time in a single season over No. 8 Washington and No. 7 Georgia Tech, had the most wins in Jason Watson’s tenure and most since 2012.
SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll (Points)
1. Kentucky (142)
2. Florida (129)
3. Tennessee (113)
4. Georgia (106)
5. Arkansas (101)
6. LSU (96)
7. Auburn (89)
8. Texas A&M (63)
9. Ole Miss (42)
Mississippi State (42)
11. South Carolina (39)
12. Missouri (30)
13. Alabama (22)
In addition to the ranking, Arkansas had two athletes named preseason All-SEC in outside hitters Jill Gillen and Taylor Head. It’s the second preseason All-SEC nod for Gillen in her career and second straight. She finished last season with 3.61 kills per set, tied for first on the team, and has led Arkansas in that statistic in each of her seasons so far. She also had a team-best 0.33 aces per set. Gillen moved up in the record books during her senior season, and now sits in fourth place in program career kills with 1,548, which is a jump of nine spots from the 2021 season. She also has 133 career aces, which tied for fourth in Arkansas history.
Head tied Gillen for team-best kills per set at 3.61 in 2022, led the Razorbacks in total kills with 390, and had the second-best efficiency percentage among Arkansas’ hitters at .277. She also showed her defensive chops throughout the course of the season with 297 digs and 2.75 per set, second-best on the team. Head played a huge role in the Hogs’ tournament run and led the team 7 kills, 3.86 kills per set, three service aces, and 19 digs over the two matches. She became the 18th member of the Arkansas 1,000-kill club on Nov. 25, 2022, and has 1,043 total for her career currently, which puts her at 18th in program history.
Gillen and Head were named All-SEC and AVCA South All-Region, both repeat honors for the duo. Gillen has been named All-SEC in each of her seasons, and Head also earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention status, Arkansas’ first All-America nod since 2017.
The pair and the Hogs kick off the 2023 season at home against Michigan State on August 25, and single match and season tickets are now available online or in person through the Razorback Ticket Center.
More Information
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Note to Our Readers: The previous story was sourced directly from the University of Arkansas Office of Communications, Emily Polglaze.
