Hear from the Hogs

In February of 2020, four Razorbacks were selected to participate in the U.S. Women’s National Team Open Tryouts at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, including Maggie Cartwright, Hailey Dirrigl, Jillian Gillen and Taylor Head.

“This is the third year we have sent athletes to the tryout,” head coach Jason Watson remarked. “Each time, it’s been a valuable and rewarding experience. It exposes our athletes to the best college volleyball players in the country.”

“I am so grateful for the opportunity to represent the University of Arkansas at USA tryouts,” Gillen said. “I am excited to play and compete with amazing volleyball players and learn from the best in the country.”

"I’m looking forward to seeing how I compare to the other players in my position,” said Dirrigl. “Being around different players will only make my game better and I can learn from others to apply to this upcoming season. I get to see where I need to improve and to better help the team for next year. I’m also a simply looking forward to competing! It’s been almost six months since I’ve played against anyone other than my teammates and I can’t wait to see what I’m capable of.”

“It means more for me to go than last year because since I was injured, I’m grateful to be healthy and strong enough to be able to compete against the best girls in the nation,” Dirrgil explained.

“It’s a taxing tryout and the level of play can be a challenge,” Watson said. “The growth and learning they experience over the three days is invaluable. To be able to provide our athletes this opportunity, to have them represent the Razorbacks, serves to better our program. I’m excited to see how each athlete responds.”