None of the Arkansas roster was alive the last time the Hogs won two NCAA Tournament games, but the Razorbacks ushered in a new era on Saturday night as Arkansas defeated TCU 3-1 to send the Hogs to their first Sweet 16 since 1998.
Four Razorbacks had double-doubles on the night in Taylor Head, Maggie Cartwright, Jill Gillen and Hannah Hogue. Head led the team with 18 kills, and Cartwright came just behind with 16 and a .350 hitting percentage.
Junior libero Courtney Jackson had a tremendous match defensively and led Arkansas with 23 digs. Junior middle blocker Zoi Evans posted six blocks for the Hogs, also the most of any player on the court on the evening.
Arkansas has now advanced to the Lincoln Regional and will face a familiar foe in the round of 16. The third-seeded Hogs have drawn the second-seeded Kentucky Wildcats, the third match between the two teams this season. Arkansas is 0-2 in the season series.
The regional semifinal match is set for 3:30 p.m. CT in Lincoln, Neb. and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
Set 1
Arkansas got off to a slow start on the night as the Hogs couldn’t string together more than two points at a time and found themselves chasing at 14-8. They began to find their rhythm after a timeout and went on a 6-0 run highlighted by two aces from Gillen and two kills from Head and knotted it at 14-all. The Horned Frogs called time, but Arkansas kept pushing and got six of the next nine points, three of which were aces, and went up 20-17. The Razorbacks grew the lead to four and the Horned Frogs huddled, but the Hogs finished the set on a 3-0 run for the 25-18 first set victory.
Set 2
The second set was more of the same as the Frogs got out to an early lead at 13-10. Arkansas then went on a three-point run to knot the score, but TCU fired right back and extended its lead to 18-14, which prompted a Razorback timeout. The home team locked in after that and racked up five of the next six points and tied it at 19-all, which sent the Frogs to a huddle. It worked, as TCU got a lead back at 23-20. But the Razorbacks responded with another run and tied it at 23-23, bringing forth a final Frog timeout. The two spoiled set point for each other once, but the Hogs broke through with the final two kills from Head and Gillen for a 27-25 second set victory.
Set 3
TCU wasn’t going quietly as the Frogs held a steady lead through the beginning of the set. Arkansas found a way and delivered four unanswered points, including a solo block from Head, and pushed it to 12-11 in the Hogs’ favor. Arkansas led by as many as three until a TCU run of three tied it at 19-all and sent the Razorbacks to a timeout. While the Hogs briefly got the lead back at 22-21 off a Hogue ace, the Frogs got four of the next five and closed the set with a block for a 25-23 final.
Set 4
Arkansas found a way to limit TCU’s runs in the fourth set and used a three-kill streak from Cartwright and Head for a 12-7 advantage. The Frogs called time and dialed in from there, quickly tying the score at 14-14. Arkansas regained the lead after a timeout, but TCU was never far behind. A pair of Gillen kills grew the edge to four for the Hogs at 20-16, and the Frogs huddled. The two teams traded points, but Arkansas staved off any momentum the Frogs created and took it to match point with a kill from Cartwright. TCU spoiled it once, but a final kill from Head sealed the set 25-20 and the match 3-1.
More Information
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