Tennessee match next for Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas volleyball team will host Tennessee in its weekend finale Sunday afternoon at Barnhill Arena. First serve of the Southeastern Conference showdown is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (CT). A live stream of the contest will be available at ArkansasRazorbacks.com and the match will also be broadcast on KXUA 88.3 FM in Fayetteville.Arkansas (11-13, 5-8 SEC) enters the match off a four-set loss to No. 12 Kentucky in its last outing. Jasmine Norton turned in a double-double performance with a match-high 19 kills and 13 digs. Fellow freshman Amanda Anderson added 12 kills with a .455 hitting percentage. Setter Lindsay Scanlan also had a double-double with 40 assists and 12 digs. Phoebe Bautista picked up a team-high 15 digs at her libero position.On the season, Norton leads the team and is third in the SEC with 3.89 kills per set. The freshman outside hitter has recorded double-digit kills in nine consecutive matches. Out of the middle, Anderson is eighth in the conference with a .320 hitting percentage. Scanlan is fourth in the league with 9.87 assists per set, while Bautista is averaging 3.93 digs per set, the ninth-best mark in the conference. In the first meeting this season between the two teams, Tennessee (16-6, 9-3 SEC) came away with a straight-set victory in Knoxville. Norton and Anderson totaled 12 and 11 kills, respectively, and Bautista had a match-high 18 digs in the matchup, but the Lady Vols hit .352 as a team to pick up the win. Three Tennessee players finished that match with at least 10 kills, led by Nikki Fowler’s 13 putaways. Arkansas leads the all-time series, 14-11, but the Lady Vols have won the last four meetings.In its last match, Tennessee dropped the opening set but recovered to defeat Ole Miss in four. Kayla Jeter had 17 kills for UT and Fowler posted a double-double effort with 12 kills and 11 digs. The Lady Vols are holding opponents to an SEC-low .169 hitting efficiency this season and are the second-best blocking and digging team in the league. Fowler is fifth in the conference with 3.43 kills per set, while Farren Powe is fifth in hitting percentage at a .344 clip and third in blocks with 1.21 swats per set.Sunday’s contest with Tennessee is the second of a three-match homestand for the Razorbacks. To close its stretch at home, Arkansas will host LSU in a Nov. 8 matchup that will be televised by CSS. For more information, log on to ArkansasRazorbacks.com.