Straight-Set Win Over Sam Houston State

DALLAS, Texas – The University of Arkansas volleyball team improved to 9-2 with Friday afternoon’s straight-set win over Sam Houston State on day one of the SMU Doubletree Classic. Redshirt senior and team co-captain Pilar Victoria put down a match-high 15 kills while the defense put up 8.5 total team blocks and held the Bearkats to a .118 hitting percentage. The win is Arkansas’ sixth sweep of the season.

The Razorbacks close out their weekend trip Saturday afternoon with a match against host SMU, scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start at Moody Coliseum. Arkansas’ next home match is Wed., Sept. 20 when the team opens SEC play against Tennessee at Barnhill Arena.

FINAL
Arkansas 3, Sam Houston State 0 | Box Score
Attendance: 468 | Time: 1:15
Moody Coliseum (Dallas, Texas)

#RazorStats

• Leaders vs SHSU
  • Kills: Pilar Victoria – 15
  • Digs: Okiana Valle – 13
  • Blocks: Elizabeth Pamphile – 5.0

Defensively, junior libero Okiana Valle led all players with 13 digs and moved into sole possession of eighth place on the program’s career digs list. The Barceloneta Puerto Rico, native has 1,026 digs in her career. At the net, freshman Elizabeth Pamphile registered five total blocks to go along with five kills. Five different Razorbacks had a service ace in the win.

After a back-and-forth start to the match, the Razorbacks went on an 8-2 run to end the first set and take the 1-0 lead. With the score tied at 5-all in the second, Arkansas took five of the next six points to take a 10-6 lead after a kill by Logan Brown. Sam Houston State (3-8) pulled to within one late in the set but the Razorbacks scored four in a row to push an 18-17 lead into a 22-17 cushion after a kill by Victoria. The team went on to win the set, 25-20.

The teams split the first six points but Arkansas rattled off six-consecutive points to take a 9-3 lead and force the Bearkats into an early timeout. The lead was down to 11-8 after an attack error but the Razorbacks used a quick surge—scoring six of eight—to go ahead 17-10 after an ace by Klaire Trainor. A kill by Brown brought the team to match point and a subsequent SHSU attack error secured the straight-set win. Brown finished the match with a season-high nine kills.

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