Arkansas downs ORU in three

Jump to ORU box score FAYETTEVILLE – The University of Arkansas volleyball team notched a solid win over Oral Roberts, 3-1, in Barnhill Arena Tuesday. Arkansas (3-1) picked up the slow-paced, 30-26, 25-30, 30-25, 30-21 win over the Golden Eagles (2-2) in a match that saw the first two games take nearly an hour to play. Senior Jessica Dorrell posted a match-high 17 kills followed by junior Christina Lawrence who tallied 16. Freshman Heather Royal added 10 for Arkansas. Arkansas also blocked well for much of the match finishing with a season-high 15.0 in the win. Freshman Sarah Freudenrich paced Arkansas with a season/career-best 12 with two solos and 10 assists. “Well, it’s a win,” said Arkansas head coach Chris Poole. “We had a bit of a let down tonight. Mid-week matches are hard – they throw off your rhythm and I really don’t like playing mid-week. That being said, Oral Roberts is a quality team and they are likely to win their conference. It was a good win for us.” It took a come-from-behind effort in the first game for Arkansas to get the win, 30-26. The Lady’Backs trailed by as many as six points at the mid-way point of the frame but the blocking picked up as did Dorrell’s offensive intensity. Arkansas scratched its way back into the game tying the frame at 25 when Dorrell blasted a shot down the line through the block. Dorrell’s attack was not only a kill to tie the game but was hit so forcefully, it knocked an ORU player out of the game. The Lady’Backs went on a five-one run to close the game. Arkansas out-blocked the Golden Eagles 7-2 in the game and out-hit the visitor .237-.080. Dorrell led the attack with a team-leading five kills and a .364 hitting percentage while sophomore Kristin Seaton added four kills. Freudenrich recorded five blocks, one solo and four assists, in the opening stanza. Arkansas was flat in the second game hitting just .106 and managed only two blocks. The Lady’Backs took an early, 3-0, but squandered it quickly never regaining the momentum. Arkansas closed to within two but was never able to get back into the game. It was a different story in the third frame as the Lady’Backs put together a deliberate and methodical attack for the win. Spotting ORU a 3-1 lead, Arkansas was patient until tying the game at nine and again at 10. The Lady’Backs then began to pull away slowly, one point at a time, stretching the lead to as many as six. ORU would not go quietly into the night, however, tying the game at 24 and pushing Arkansas to the bitter end. The Lady’Backs used a late, deep tip from Royal going up 29-28 and finished off the game with an ace serve from setter junior Nicole Martin. ORU won the statistical battle in game three out-hitting Arkansas .216-.103 and out-blocking the Lady’Backs 3.5-1.0. The final frame was equally as dramatic. Arkansas seemed in control early but ORU came back to challenge the home team late. ORU managed a four-point run cutting the deficit to five as Poole burned his final timeout. The break was enough to spark an 8-4 run giving Arkansas the win. The Lady’Backs continue non-conference action traveling to Virginia for tournament action Friday and Saturday. Arkansas faces host Virginia, Temple and Norfolk State. For more information about Arkansas volleyball, please log on to LADYBACKS.COM.