Upset Bid Falls Just Short at No. 4 Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Senior co-captains Danielle Harbin and Breana Jones registered career-high performances Saturday afternoon but the University of Arkansas volleyball team dropped a five-set decision to fourth-ranked Kansas. In the upset bid, Harbin tallied a team-high 22 kills while Jones registered 11.0 total blocks. Fellow senior Savannah Voelzke led a trio of double-double efforts with a career-best 14 kills and 12 digs.
FINAL
No. 4 Kansas 3, Arkansas 2 (25-20, 23-25, 25-19, 31-33, 15-8) | Box Score
Attendance: 1,234 | Time: 2:35
Horejsi Center (Lawrence, Kan.)
#RazorStats
• Leaders vs. #4 Kansas
o Kills: Danielle Harbin – 22 (career high)
o Digs: Okiana Valle – 28
o Blocks: Breana Jones – 11 (career high)
• Double-Doubles
o Rachel Rippee – 23 assists, 13 digs
o Savannah Voelzke – 14 kills, 12 digs
o Adrien Wohlschlaeger – 23 assists, 14 digs
On her way to earning Kansas Invitational All-Tournament honors, Harbin averaged 4.15 kills per set during the weekend to go along with totals of 13 digs, 12 total blocks and three service aces. She opened the tournament with a then-career high of 18 kills against Maryland.
Defensively, Jones was one of two Razorbacks with double-digit blocks as Barbara Dapic set a new career high with 10 total blocks, replacing her previous best of six blocks against Tennessee in 2014. Jones racked up 22 total blocks during the Kansas Invitational, good for 1.69 blocks per set. Behind the block, sophomore libero Okiana Valle picked up 28 digs, good for the eighth 20-dig showing of her career.
Down 2-1 in the match and facing a 22-19 deficit in the fourth set, the Razorbacks got a kill from Barbara Dapic and back-to-back kills from Harbin to pull even and force a Kansas timeout. From that point, the scoreboard was tied eight times and Arkansas had to fight off four match points before capitalizing on its fifth set point to force a decisive set with a kill from Harbin, her eighth of the frame.
Carrying the back-and-forth play into the fifth set, Kansas (6-0) led 8-7 when the teams switched sides at the media timeout. The Jayhawks went on to win the final six points of the match to secure victory in the five-set thriller. Prior to the match, Kansas had not lost a set in its previous five matches. The Razorbacks fall to 1-5 with the loss.
Arkansas continues its road travels next weekend with a trip to Albuquerque for the Lobo Classic with matches against host New Mexico and defending national champion Nebraska. The Razorbacks also have an exhibition matchup scheduled with Montreal.
The team makes its home debut Sept. 16-17 with the Arkansas Invitational at Barnhill Arena. Season tickets are available for purchase through the Razorback Ticket Center with pricing options beginning at $40. For more information, fans can call 800-982-HOGS (4647) or buy tickets online.
For more information about Arkansas volleyball, follow @RazorbackVB on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.
