Middles Pace the Offense in Loss to Mizzou

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas volleyball team dropped its Southeastern Conference home opener Friday evening with a straight-set loss to Missouri at Barnhill Arena. In the middle, seniors Ana Sofia Jusino and Breana Jones combined for 15 kills while freshman setter Rachel Rippee had 29 assists and a team-high six digs.

FINAL
Missouri 3, Arkansas 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-17) | Box Score
Attendance: 841 | Time: 1:19
Barnhill Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)

#RazorStats
• Leaders vs. Missouri
o Kills: Ana Sofia Jusino – 8 (.400 hitting percentage)
o Digs: Rachel Rippee – 6
o Blocks: Ana Sofia Jusino – 2 (0-2)

Arkansas (3-11/1-1 SEC) returns to play Sunday with a road match at Ole Miss. First serve of the weekend finale is set for 5 p.m. (CT) at The Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi. The match will be televised on the SEC Network

Jusino paced the Razorbacks’ attack with eight kills on a .400 hitting percentage. Over the past five matches, the Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, native is hitting .391 with 2.12 kills per set and 1.25 blocks per set. Jones wasn’t far behind, finishing Friday’s match with seven kills on 11 swings and no errors, good for a .636 hitting percentage. The Razorbacks’ senior co-captain has yet to commit an attack error in two conference matches.

With the score tied at 17-all in the first set, Missouri (12-3, 3-0 SEC) won eight of the final nine points to secure the opener. The visitors used early runs in the second and third sets to create space on the scoreboard to come away with the sweep. The Razorbacks opened the match with a .522 hitting percentage in the first frame.

Arkansas’ next home match is Wednesday, Oct. 5, when its hosts defending conference champion Texas A&M at 8 p.m. on ESPNU. For more information about tickets, fans can call 800-982-HOGS (4647) or buy tickets online.