FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Making its television debut on the SEC Network, the University of Arkansas volleyball team beat Ole Miss in straight sets Wednesday night in front of 1,242 fans at Barnhill Arena. With the win, the Razorbacks improve to 9-8 overall and 3-1 in conference play. Arkansas got double-digit kill efforts from Meredith Hays and Samantha Skinner while limiting the Rebels to a season-low offensive output.
Having secured the first two sets, the Razorbacks scored the first two points of the third on kills by Hays and eventually led 12-8 after a kill by Chanell Clark-Bibbs which led to an Ole Miss (15-3, 1-3 SEC) timeout. The Rebels mounted a rally to go ahead 20-18 which forced a timeout by head coach Robert Pulliza. Arkansas responded by winning seven of the last eight points to seal the set and clinch the match.
Wednesday marked Hays’ 11th match of the season with at least 15 kills to go along with a .308 hitting percentage against the Rebels. She finished with nine digs, just one shy of completing her sixth double-double of the year. With 10 kills in the match, Skinner reached double figures for the second time in conference play. Clark-Bibbs rounded out the top three with eight kills. Bailee Hankenson directed the offense with 35 assists.
Defensively, Arkansas held the Rebels to a season-low .142 hitting percentage. Ole Miss entered the match second in the SEC with a .271 team hitting percentage. The Razorbacks have now held nine opponents under the .200 mark this year. Clark-Bibbs, Skinner and Liz Fortado each tallied three total blocks in the match. In her third start, Savannah Voelzke tied her career high with seven digs.
From the service line, the Razorbacks picked up a season-high eight aces and have now posted a season high in three of their four conference matches. Wednesday’s total surpasses the seven aces served against Mississippi State (Sept. 28) in Fayetteville. Five different players had at least one ace including a career-best three service winners for Voelzke.
The Razorbacks return to their home floor Sunday afternoon when they host Georgia. First serve of the SEC matchup is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (CT) at Barnhill Arena. The match will be streamed on SEC Network+ which is available through SECNetwork.com, ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.
FINAL
Arkansas 3, Ole Miss 0 (25-18, 25-22, 25-21)
Attendance: 1,242 | Time: 1:34
Barnhill Arena | Fayetteville, Ark.
#RazorFacts
• Stat Leaders vs. Ole Miss
o Kills: 15 – Meredith Hays
o Digs: 12 – Monica Bollinger
o Blocks: 3 – Chanell Clark-Bibbs, Liz Fortado, Samantha Skinner
• Season-high eight service aces against Ole Miss
o Including career-high three aces by Savannah Voelzke
o 25 of team’s 63 aces this season have come during SEC play
• Held ninth opponent under .200 hitting percentage
o Season-low .142 for Ole Miss
• Liz Fortado is one kill shy of 300 for her career, had four on seven swings (no errors) against Ole Miss
• Home crowd of 1,242 is 11th-largest in program history
o Second crowd of more than 1,000 at Barnhill Arena this season
• Program collected its 30th win over Ole Miss
o Improve to 30-11 all-time against the Rebels
o Sixth-straight win vs. Ole Miss
o Third-straight sweep vs. Ole Miss
• Next match: Oct. 12 vs. Georgia [SEC Network+]
o First serve at 1:30 p.m. (CT) at Barnhill Arena
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