MANHATTAN, Kan. – A trio of Razorbacks registered double-digit kills Saturday afternoon but the University of Arkansas volleyball team dropped a five setter (17-25, 27-25, 30-32, 25-19, 15-10) to Middle Tennessee in its final match of the K-State Varney’s Invitational. Meredith Hays posted career highs with 23 kills and 16 digs while Chanell Clark-Bibbs and Danielle Harbin tallied 13 and 10 kills, respectively.
For the first time this season and sixth time as a Razorback, Hays had at least 20 kills in a match and surpassed her previous best of 22 kills which she established on three different occasions last year. With her digs collection, she also posted her first double-double performance of the season and 10th at Arkansas. Hays’ previous high of 15 digs came in matches last season against Kansas and Mississippi State.
Clark-Bibbs also tallied a season high with 13 kills against Middle Tennessee. She added four digs, two blocks and one service ace in the five setter. In off the bench, Harbin had a season-high 10 kills in her first double-digit effort since the 2013 season-opening weekend. Samantha Skinner added seven kills in the match.
Defensively, libero Monica Bollinger had a team-high and career-best 18 digs to pace the Razorbacks’ efforts behind the block. She surpassed her previous high of 14 which she set against New Mexico during the 2013 Arkansas Invitational. Kori Ortiz was the third Razorback to reach double figures in digs with 10. At the net, Ana Sofia Jusino got in on a team-high six total blocks.
With its first road trip of the season in the books, Arkansas returns to Fayetteville for four home dates next week beginning with a Tuesday matchup with Oral Roberts at Barnhill Arena. The team will then welcome South Dakota, SMU and Stony Brook for next weekend’s Razorback Invitational which begins Friday. The matches against Oral Roberts, Stony Brook and SMU will be streamed live online at SEC Network+.
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.
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• Milestone Watch
o Monica Bollinger: needs 63 digs to reach 500 in her career
- Career-high 18 digs vs. Middle Tennessee
o Meredith Hays: needs 48 kills to move into 25th place on program’s career list
- Career-high 23 kills vs. Middle Tennessee
- Completed first double-double of the season with career-high 16 digs
• Double-digit, season-high performances
o Chanell Clark-Bibbs: 13 kills
o Danielle Harbin: 10 kills
o Kori Ortiz: 10 digs
• Next home match: Sept. 9 vs. Oral Roberts, first serve at 7 p.m.
For more information on Arkansas volleyball, follow @RazorbackVB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.