Lady'Back volleyball hosts Miss State Sunday

FAYETTEVILLE –The University of Arkansas volleyball team returns to the court Sunday hosting Mississippi State at 1:30 p.m. in Barnhill Arena.

Arkansas suffered a four-game loss to Southeastern Conference Western Division leader Alabama Friday and has dropped three consecutive matches. The Lady’Backs are looking to return to the win column against Mississippi State but the Bulldogs won’t be an easy opponent.

"Everyone in the SEC is so much better this year," said Arkansas head coach Chris Poole. "There is so much parity and anyone can win on any given day. Our goal in this match is to limit our mistakes and to take care of the ball on our side of the net. We are just making too many unforced errors and we are not forcing opponents to beat us."

Freshman Sarah Freudenrich has become a go-to player and on-the-court leader for Arkansas as the season has progressed. The first-year player from Broken Arrow, Okla., ranks 19th in the country with 1.51 blocks per game.

The block will be important for Arkansas against the Bulldogs but so too will be the ability to pass against one of the best serving teams in the league.

"They are a pretty balanced team," said Poole. "They serve well and are experienced and have some international players with a lot of court time."

Arkansas finds itself on the short side of the season as 2007 continues. The Lady’Backs follow up the Mississippi State match with back-to-back SEC road trips. Arkansas wraps up the SEC season hosting Kentucky and Tennessee and concludes the regular season hosting Connecticut Nov. 24.

Sunday’s match will air live in the Northwest Arkansas area on 88.3 FM and on the internet at LADYBACKS.COM.

For more information about Arkansas volleyball please log on to LADYBACKS.COM.