Arkansas volleyball downs State in three

Jump to Miss State box

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas volleyball team picked up a Southeastern Conference win Sunday, downing Mississippi State in three sets in Barnhill Arena. Arkansas (5-12, 2-5 SEC) picked up the 25-17, 25-20, 25-22 win over State (6-12, 1-6 SEC) getting their first straight-set win since Sept. 13. “Of course it was great to get the win,” said Arkansas head coach Robert Pulliza. “We played good ball today. But I was really excited for the fans to see what we as coaches have seen for the last several weeks. We’re working hard every day and it’s great to see that transition onto the court.” Arkansas hit .308 in the match behind a career-best 10 kills and .412 hitting percentage from senior Yun Tang. Tang added three blocks and an assist in the win. Freshman Kelli Stipanovich tallied nine kills and hit .467 while sophomores Heather Royal and Hillary McCormick each added seven kills. McCormick hit .500 for the match and did not commit a hitting error. The Razorbacks came out strong from the opening after a rousing pre-game motivational talk from several young Razorback fans. Arkansas only surrendered the lead five times for the entire match. Arkansas was up early, 5-1, in the first set, 4-1 in the second and 3-1 in the third and trailed only once after getting those leads. In addition to playing well offensively, Arkansas stepped up its defensive pressure as well correcting some errors from recent matches. Senior Christina Lawrence finished the match with a team-leading 11 digs and freshman libero Phoebe Bautista added seven for Arkansas. The defensive effort held Mississippi State to a .080 hitting percentage including a zero mark in the second set. The Razorbacks hit the road for three consecutive road matches traveling to Kentucky and Tennessee, Friday and Sunday, respectively, then to Ole Miss for a mid-week tilt Wednesday.