FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Featuring 13 home matches at Barnhill Arena and seven opponents that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament, head coach Jason Watson has released the Razorbacks’ schedule for the upcoming year. The 25th season of Arkansas Volleyball begins Aug. 24 with a home match against Kansas.
Quick Facts | 2018 Arkansas Volleyball Schedule (.pdf)
• Season & home opener: Aug. 24 vs Kansas
• SEC opener: Sept. 19 at Texas A&M
• SEC home opener: Sept. 23 vs Missouri
• 28 matches during the regular season | 13 home – 12 away – three neutral
• 10 matches against seven opponents that played in last year’s NCAA Tournament
• Four first-time opponents: Buffalo, Georgia Southern, North Dakota State, Northwestern
The Razorbacks’ schedule also features 11 matches against eight opponents that were ranked inside the final RPI Top 50 from last season. In addition to its SEC slate, Arkansas is set to face three non-conference teams—Kansas, Minnesota and NC State—that played in the 2017 NCAA Tournament. Arkansas opens the season with a home and home against Kansas.
Along with its regular-season opener with Kansas, this year’s home schedule features the Arkansas Classic (Sept. 7-8) and nine conference matches. The Razorbacks’ SEC home opener is Sunday, Sept. 23 against Missouri. Arkansas is scheduled for a four-match home stand during November that features preseason SEC favorite Kentucky (Nov. 14).
| Date | Opponent | Site | Time (CT) |
| Sat, Aug. 18 | at Oklahoma (exhibition) | Norman, Okla. | 5 p.m. |
| Fri, Aug. 24 | Kansas | FAYETTEVILLE | 6 p.m. |
| Sun, Aug. 26 | at Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. | 1 p.m. |
| Fri, Aug. 31 | vs Georgia Southern | Minneapolis, Minn. | 4:30 p.m. |
| Sat, Sept. 1 | vs North Dakota State | Minneapolis, Minn. | 12 p.m. |
| Sat, Sept. 1 | at Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | 7 p.m. |
| Fri, Sept. 7 | Butler | FAYETTEVILLE | 7 p.m. |
| Sat, Sept. 8 | Buffalo | FAYETTEVILLE | 12 p.m. |
| Sat, Sept. 8 | Northwestern | FAYETTEVILLE | 7 p.m. |
| Fri, Sept. 14 | vs NC State | Atlanta, Ga. | 3 p.m. |
| Sat, Sept. 15 | at Georgia Tech | Atlanta, Ga. | 3 p.m. |
| Wed, Sept. 19 | at Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | 7 p.m. |
| Sun, Sept. 23 | Missouri | FAYETTEVILLE | 1 p.m. |
| Fri, Sept. 28 | at Kentucky | Lexington, Ky. | TBA |
| Sun, Sept. 30 | at Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | 12:30 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct. 5 | Ole Miss | FAYETTEVILLE | 7 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 7 | at Missouri | Columbia, Mo. | 1:30 p.m. |
| Fri, Oct. 12 | Mississippi State | FAYETTEVILLE | 7 p.m. |
| Wed, Oct. 17 | South Carolina | FAYETTEVILLE | 7 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 21 | Alabama | FAYETTEVILLE | 1 p.m. |
| Wed, Oct. 24 | at Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | 7 p.m. |
| Sun, Oct. 28 | at Auburn | Auburn, Ala. | TBA |
| Sun, Nov. 4 | at Florida | Gainesville, Fla. | 3 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov. 9 | Georgia | FAYETTEVILLE | 7 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 11 | LSU | FAYETTEVILLE | 1 p.m. |
| Wed, Nov. 14 | Kentucky | FAYETTEVILLE | 5 p.m. |
| Sun, Nov. 18 | Tennessee | FAYETTEVILLE | 1 p.m. |
| Wed, Nov. 21 | at Georgia | Athens, Ga. | 5 p.m. |
| Fri, Nov. 23 | at Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | 7 p.m. |
Rising sophomores Hailey Dirrigl and Elizabeth Pamphile are Arkansas’ top returning offensive leaders after averaging 2.77 and 2.02 kills per set, respectively, last season. Setter Rachel Rippee tallied 11.23 assists per set during the 2017 campaign which ranked second in the SEC. Defensively, Kelly O’Brien led the Razorback with 115 total blocks last season and libero Okiana Valle picked up 3.61 digs per set while surpassing 1,000 career digs.
The 2018 postseason begins Nov. 29 with the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament with the regional round set for Dec. 7-8 at four non-predetermined sites. The national semifinals and championship matches will be played Dec. 13 and 15 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
For more information about Arkansas volleyball, follow @RazorbackVB on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter.