Razorback volleyball falls at Georgia

Jump to Georgia Box

ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Arkansas volleyball team posted good numbers in all but the points column dropping a Southeastern Conference match at Georgia in Athens, Ga., Friday. Arkansas (4-10, 1-3 SEC) fell to the Bulldogs (8-8, 1-4 SEC) 22-25, 15-25, 23-25 in front of 488 fans at the Ramsey Student Center. “There is no doubt that we got it done offensively tonight,” said Arkansas head coach Robert Pulliza. “It shows in the numbers. But our defense hurt us tonight. We were out-dug 44-25 and that was the difference. Last week, we were on defensively and have we to be able to put both sides of the game together so we can move forward and keep getting better.” Arkansas hit .330 for the match with 37 kills with freshman Kelli Stipanovich leading the team with 11 kills. Senior Christina Lawrence added 10 in the loss. Arkansas blasted out of the gates storming out to an early lead but the Razorbacks struggled to hold the advantage. The Bulldogs tied the set at 11 squeaking out a 12-11 lead after an Arkansas hitting error and Georgia never looked back. Despite the loss, Arkansas hit a blistering .440 for the frame with 12 kills, seven digs and two blocks. The Razorbacks were led by Lawrence and Stipanovich with four kills each. Although Arkansas posted great numbers, Georgia’s were even better as the Bulldogs hit .500 with 19 kills, three errors and 32 attempts. The second set didn’t go Arkansas’ way either. The Bulldogs took the early lead but the Razorbacks stayed close through the mid-point of the set. Senior setter Caira Dortch provided some of the offense with a couple of well-timed dumps pulling Arkansas within a point but the Georgia lead was too much to overcome. Sophomore Hillary McCormick got a lot of minutes in the second set. The Overland Park, Kan., native tallied three kills and three digs in the effort. Arkansas hit just .235 allowing Georgia to hit at a .457 clip for the set. By the end of the set, Stipanovich led Arkansas’ hitters with seven kills while Lawrence had six. Pulliza had taken his final timeout with Arkansas trailing, 17-12, but Arkansas couldn’t counter the balanced Bulldog attack. The third set was equally as close as the first with the Razorbacks never trailing by more than a couple points. Arkansas tied the set at 17 and would be as close as one, 22-21, but could never take the lead. Arkansas remains on the road traveling to LSU (6-5, 1-3 SEC) Sunday for a 1:30 p.m. match. That match airs live on CST in regional markets. For more information about Arkansas volleyball, please log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.