th seed, the Razorbacks will have a round-one rematch with the 14
th-seeded Missouri Tigers.
After opening the season on a 10-match win streak, Arkansas has since dropped nine consecutive matches, rolling into Tuscaloosa at 10-9 overall and 4-9 against SEC teams. The Hogs have capitalized on their bye-week, getting plenty of rest, recovery and practice ahead of the tournament, looking for a fresh start for post-season play.
The Razorbacks are led by freshman Indianna Spink, who is ranked No. 35 in singles play, boasting a 15-6 record for her rookie campaign. Joining Spink in the rankings is new doubles duo, senior Tatum Rice and freshman Morgan Cross, coming in at number 72.
April 13, 2021
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sophomore Jillian Gillen and freshman Taylor Head added another pair of honors to their already impressive 2020-21 resumes with identical AVCA All-South Region Team Honors, announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Tuesday.
The recognition comes just over a week after the duo garnered All-SEC honors. Gillen was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and All-SEC while Head was named SEC Freshman of the Year and placed on the All-SEC Freshman Team.
This season, Head led Arkansas to six, weekend sweeps of conference opponents, including the Hogs exhilarating sweep of then-No. 14 Texas A&M in the fall. She finished her rookie campaign as a three-time SEC Freshman of the Week honoree and the league leader in double-doubles with a notable 13. Head notched 17 double-digit dig performances, consistently contributing to Arkansas’ .219 hitting percentage, which is the most efficient hitting percentage for the Ho
April 10, 2021
COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – The No. 28 University of Arkansas women’s tennis team lost at No. 20 Texas A&M on Sunday, starting off hot in singles play but eventually dropped a 4-1 decision to the Aggies. With the loss, the Razorbacks fall to 10-9 on the season and 4-9 in Southeastern Conference play.
In doubles play, number one pair Morgan Cross and Tatum Rice secured a 6-3 win over No. 43-ranked Aggies Tatiana Makarova and Jayci Goldsmith. Lauren Alter and Indianna Spink paired up for a battle on court two but fell to Renee McBryde and Dorthea Faa-Hviding 6-3.
Now with both Arkansas and Texas A&M with one win apiece, both teams looked to court three, where Kelly Keller and Laura Rijkers faced Riley McQuaid and Katya Townsend. Townsend and McQuaid ultimately came up with the 6-4 win, clinching the doubles point for the Aggies.
April 8, 2021
BATON ROUGE, La. – The No. 28 University of Arkansas women’s tennis team dropped a 4-0 decision at No. 11 LSU on Thursday. With the loss, the Razorbacks fall to 10-8 on the season and 4-8 in Southeastern Conference play.
LSU claimed the doubles point with wins in the number two and three spots. Razorbacks Lauren Alter and Indianna Spink were the first to fall, losing 6-1 to No. 73 Nina Giessler and Eden Richardson. Kelly Keller and Laura Rijkers then dropped a 6-2 decision to Maggie Cubitt and Anna Laughlan.
Working from behind, Arkansas battled across all six courts but couldn’t overcome the Tigers’ attack. Rice fell to LSU’s highest-ranked singles player, No. 40 Paris Corley on court three 6-2, 6-3 and shortly after, Alter dropped a 6-2, 6-2 match to Samantha Buyckx on court six, giving LSU a 3-0 lead. The Tigers clinched the win on court five with a 6-4, 6-1 win as Rijkers fell to LSU’s Geissler in straight sets.
April 4, 2021
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Fifth-year head volleyball coach Jason Watson was honored on Sunday with his first-ever SEC Coach of the Year award. Sophomore Jillian Gillen was named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and freshman Taylor Head was named SEC Freshman of the Year. Gillen and Head also each earned a spot on the All-SEC team and All-SEC Freshman Team respectively.
Watson led the Razorbacks to 14 conference wins over the split-season, the most for Arkansas since 2003. The Hogs averaged an impressive 1.58 service aces per set, good for second in the SEC and the fourth-best in program history. Arkansas’ maintained strong performances on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball, recording 14.57 digs and 12.95 kills per set this season.