Lady'Back volleyball returns to SEC action at Mississippi State Friday

Jump to current SEC standings FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas volleyball team returns to Southeastern Conference action with a pair of road matches this weekend traveling first to Mississippi State on Friday followed by a match at Mississippi Sunday. The 2005 SEC regular season is quickly winding down but several big matches remain over the final two weeks of play. Arkansas currently stands in first place in the league’s Western Division but the Lady’Backs’ spot on top and 11th division title is far from secure. Arkansas travels to Mississippi State Friday for a 7:00 p.m., match with the Bulldogs. MSU is coming off a big three-game, mid-week win over in-state rival Mississippi that saw the Bulldogs improve to 12-9 overall and 3-8 in the SEC. State, as well as Ole Miss, are both fighting to move into the number eight spot in the overall standings in an attempt to secure an SEC Tournament birth. The Lady Razorbacks enter the week with a 17-8 overall mark and a 9-3 SEC record, just one match ahead of Alabama and LSU in the West. Arkansas’ series with the Crimson Tide is finished for the year with the Lady’Backs winning both matches. Arkansas still has to travel to LSU for a mid-week match up next week and the Lady’Backs host Eastern Division rival Kentucky before the season is over. "We control our own destiny," said Arkansas head coach Chris Poole. "We have to look at every match as a must-win and play at the top of our game. We know that Mississippi State is a good serving team and that is something we’ve been working on all week. ORU was also a good serving team and we felt like we were able to handle that pretty well on Tuesday. We want that to carry over into this weekend." In addition to working toward the SEC Western Division title, Arkansas would also like to secure the number two seed for the upcoming league tournament Nov. 18-20, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Currently, Arkansas and Eastern Division foe Tennessee are tied with identical 9-3 league records and the Lady Vols would win the tie-breaker over the Lady’Backs by virtue of a head-to-head win early in the season. Tennessee’s remaining schedule features a trip to Kentucky, and home matches with South Carolina, Alabama and Auburn. Alabama and LSU could also catch Arkansas but both also have tough roads ahead of them. The Crimson Tide hosts fourth-ranked Florida and Georgia this weekend and have to go to both Tennessee and South Carolina in the final weekend. LSU’s chances for a Western Division title are also very much alive. The Tigers’ schedule mirrors Arkansas and LSU plays first at Mississippi then Mississippi State opposite of the Lady’Backs. The Tigers then host Arkansas in a big mid-week match Nov. 9, followed by a home match against Kentucky. "It could all come down to the last weekend of play," said Poole. "We have some tough matches remaining and we can’t afford to make any mistakes. There are still a lot of teams fighting for positions and we’re going to have to play well the rest of the season." Arkansas’ Friday match at Mississippi State airs in the Fayetteville area on KXUA, 88.3 FM, and both matches can be heard on LADYBACKS.COM.2005 Southeastern Conference Standings