COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Arkansas volleyball team began the second half of SEC play with a three-set loss Friday evening at Missouri despite a pair of 11-kill efforts from Chanell Clark-Bibbs and Meredith Hays. During the match, libero Monica Bollinger reached a milestone with the 700th dig of her Razorback career. With Friday’s result, Arkansas is now 11-12 overall with a 5-5 record in league play.
With her 11 kills against Missouri, Clark-Bibbs finished the match with a team-high .529 hitting percentage. Over the past three matches, the Houston, Texas, native is hitting .443 with 4.50 kills per set. Friday’s match was Clark-Bibbs’ ninth of the season with 10 or more kills, eight of which have been coupled with a hitting percentage of .333 or higher.
Hays now has at least 10 kills in 21 of the Razorbacks’ 23 matches this season. After posting just four kills apiece through the first two sets, both she and Clark-Bibbs put down seven kills in the third set. Hays also added six digs against Mizzou. Liz Fortado was next on the team with four kills Friday night.
With her second dig of the night, Bollinger tallied her 700th dig to become the 17th player in program history to reach the milestone figure. She finished the match with a team-high seven digs. Bollinger has 705 digs in her Razorback career. In addition to Hays’ output, Bailee Hankenson and Kori Ortiz each had four digs. At the net defensively, Breana Jones had four total blocks.
Missouri (14-11, 5-5 SEC) used decisive runs in each of Friday’s three sets to secure the win. In the opener, an early six-point surge put the home team in control. In sets two and three, the score was tied at 14-all before the Tigers went on 5-0 and 6-0 runs, respectively, to separate themselves from Arkansas. The Razorback saved three match points to extend play before Missouri closed things out with a final kill.
The Razorbacks now return to Fayetteville in preparation for their weekend finale at Barnhill Arena. Arkansas will host LSU on Sunday afternoon with first serve scheduled for 1:30 p.m. (CT). Sunday’s match will be the second meeting of the season between the two teams. The Tigers posted a five-set win Oct. 5 in Baton Rouge. The Razorbacks hold a 25-17 lead in the all-time series against LSU and have won 12 of 19 matches played in Fayetteville.
Final
Missouri 3, Arkansas 0 (25-13, 25-21, 25-)
Time: 1:27 | Attendance: 3,497
Columbia, Mo. | Hearnes Center
#RazorFacts
• Stat Leaders at Missouri
o Kills: 11 – Chanell Clark-Bibbs, Meredith Hays
o Digs: 7 – Monica Bollinger
o Blocks: 4 – Breana Jones
• Monica Bollinger is 17th player in program history to reach 700 career digs
o Currently has 705 career digs
• Chanell Clark-Bibbs posted third-consecutive match with double-digit kills
o Eighth match this season with 10+ kills and .333 or higher hitting percentage
• Next match: Sunday, Oct. 31, vs. LSU, first serve at 1:30 p.m. (CT) in Fayetteville
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