MANHATTAN, Kan. – With her seventh kill Friday against UCF, Meredith Hays tallied the 500th kill of her Razorback career but the University of Arkansas volleyball team lost the match in three sets. Hays finished the match with 13 kills to pace the offense while Chanell Clark-Bibbs led the defensive effort at the net with six total blocks. Arkansas (3-2) wraps its weekend at the K-State Varney’s Invitational with a Saturday matchup with Middle Tennessee at 1 p.m. (CT).
Hays is the 28th Razorback in program history to reach 500 career kills, and the sixth to do so under head coach Robert Pulliza. With 13 kills against UCF (6-0), the senior outside hitter also recorded the 30th double-digit kills effort of her Arkansas career. She has at least 10 kills in all but one match this season. Hays also added three digs and three total blocks.
Defensively, Clark-Bibbs registered her third match of the year with at least six blocks. She has two seven-block efforts from last weekend’s Arkansas Invitational. Against UCF, the Houston, Texas, native also had seven kills and three digs. Behind the block, libero Monica Bollinger moved into 37th on the program’s career digs list with a team-high seven scoops.
Bailee Hankenson was second on the team with five digs.
Samantha Skinner provided an offensive spark off the bench with a season-high eight kills at a .500 hitting clip. She had just one attack error in 14 attempts. Overall, a total of eight Razorbacks had at least one kill in Friday’s contest against UCF. Hankenson finished the night with 29 assists.
Season tickets to join the crowd at Barnhill Arena are on sale and can be purchased online at ArkansasRazorbacks.com or by calling 800-982-HOGS (4647). Beginning at $40, all season-ticket packages include a free team knit hat. Single-match tickets are $5 for adults while UA students and fans 17 years and younger get in free.
#RazorFacts
• Meredith Hays reaches 500 career kills with seventh kill vs. UCF
o 28th player in program history to reach milestone figure
o 30th match at Arkansas with double-digit kills
• Hays joins Jasmine Norton, Kelli Stipanovich, Amanda Anderson, Roslandy Acosta and Janeliss Torres-Lopez to reach 500 career kills under head coach Robert Pulliza.
• Monica Bollinger moves into 37th on career digs list
o 81 digs shy of becoming 31st playing in program history with 500 career digs
• Third-ever meeting between Arkansas and UCF
o First since the 2002 season
• Next home match: Sept. 9 vs. Oral Roberts, first serve at 7 p.m.