Arkansas

Class 5A Arkansas state volleyball championship: Benton bounces back from title-game loss last year

Published

2 years ago

October 30, 2022

Class 5A Arkansas state volleyball championship: Benton bounces back from title-game loss last year

By Jeff Halpern | Pictures by Tommy Land

HOT SPRINGS — A 12 months in the past, the Benton Girl Panthers misplaced the Class 5A state championship to Little Rock Christian 3-2 wherein all 5 video games have been determined by a complete of 15 factors.

Saturday night time at Financial institution Ozk Enviornment, the No. 3-ranked Girl Panthers (28-1) defeated No. 5 Valley View (21-4-1) 25-21, 26-24, 25-23 for the Class 5A state title.

“I’ll take this one quite a bit higher,” mentioned Benton head coach Michelle Shoppach. “Our youngsters saved taking part in. In that third set, we saved pushing. They gave us a really exhausting time. I appeared on the stats, and we had solely 2 aces and that’s not like us as a result of we usually get a number of aces. All three units have been shut, and we needed to work for it.”

Valley View which has been to the state finals 20 years in a row and had gained the previous seven consecutive state championships (2015-2017 at 5A and 2018-2021 at 4A) was seeking to win in its return to 5A.

“I anticipated it to be an in depth match,” mentioned Valley View head coach Margie McGee. “They have been the powerhouse staff, and we’re the defensive staff and I’m a agency believer that protection wins championships. I believed we have been in fantastic place till we misplaced our setter [Riley Owens] as a result of we have been up two on the time. She runs our offense and is considered one of two gamers we run our offense by way of.

“Our youngsters labored so exhausting, and we gave ourselves an opportunity. That’s all I can ask of them. I used to be so pleased with how exhausting they labored and so they put themselves in an opportunity to win it.”

The Blazers have been up 15-13 within the third set when Owens injured her ankle colliding with the online help. She was assisted off the court docket and didn’t return.

Benton, which trailed 20-18, lastly tied the sport at 20-20 on a kill by Henley Hooks and a block Presley Pallette. The Panthers, who trailed 22-21, tied it once more at 22-22 when Anna Larkin went into the online. Benton lastly took the lead 23-22 when Bonnie Fagan’s assault went huge. An ace by Henley Hooks made it 24-23 earlier than Morghan Weaver had a kill to shut it to 24-23 befor Pallette had a kill to finish it.

“This feels nice,” mentioned Abigail Lagemann, who completed with 17 kills and 16 digs. “All 12 months lengthy, we’ve got labored exhausting after coming so shut final 12 months.”

Lagemann is dedicated to play seashore volleyball at South Carolina.

“Abigail has been our MVP all 12 months. We’ll miss her on the court docket, however we’re going to overlook her management and off the court docket,” Shoppach mentioned,

Along with Lagemann, Delaney Cooper had 11 digs. Khennedi Visitor had 9 kills. Isabella Lagemann, Abigail’s youthful sister, had 8 kills and 6 digs. Hooks had 7 kills and 6 digs. Kenzie Garrett had 24 assists and 6 digs. Emmaline Armstrong had17 assists.

Morghan Weaver led Valley View with 13 kills and eight digs. Micah McMillan had 10 kills, 8 digs and 14 assists. Owens had 16i assists, 3 kills and eight digs earlier than leaving with the ankle damage. Lylleigh Haddock had 11 digs.

Within the first sport, Benton jumped out to a 13-8 lead earlier than Valley View tied the match at 21-21. Abigail Lagemann had a kill to place Benton up 22-21. An assault error by Fagan put the Girl Panthers up 23-21. Assault errors by Weaver and Owens set the ultimate margin at 25-21,

The second sport featured seven ties and two lead adjustments. Benton was up 23-21 earlier than Valley View tied it because of an assault error by Hooks and a kill by Weaver. A kill by Weaver put Valley View up 24-23 with an opportunity to win it, however Abigail Lageman had a kill tie tie it at 24-24 earlier than a block by Pallette and Hooks put Benton up 25-24 and a kill by Hooks ended it at 26-24.

“For me, that is my first state title, and I’ve been teaching at Benton for 11 years and this has been a brilliant staff with wonderful management,” mentioned Shoppach. “Our group has supported us, and that is good for central Arkansas.”

When requested if beating Valley View, which has been one of many state’s dominant applications for the previous 20 years, made the title much more particular. Shoppach mentioned she didn’t suppose it made it any extra particular, however she added that she had a ton of respect for McGee and for every little thing she has accomplished for volleyball and that she wouldn’t be within the place to do what she’s doing if it wasn’t for McGee.

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Arkansas

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Arkansas Razorbacks Prediction, Odds and Picks

Published

9 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Arkansas Razorbacks Prediction, Odds and Picks

The Texas Tech Red Raiders take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the Liberty Bowl, and both squads could have an entirely different look compared to the regular season. For Tech, the Red Raiders lost their offensive coordinator but should be a tad more stable in terms of roster outlook compared to the Razorbacks. Arkansas is down to six scholarship offensive linemen and will be missing two key starters in this bowl game. Furthermore, both squads have had players leave for the transfer portal, but the Razorbacks losses were significantly more impactful such as WR Andrew Armstrong heading to the NFL. Furthermore, Arkansas will be without two of its better defensive players: safety TJ Metcalf and EDGE rusher Landon Jackson.

Texas Tech’s biggest loss could be star RB Tahj Brooks, but he has participated in every bowl game practice leading up to the game despite not making an official decision with less than 24 hours to go before kickoff. Stability is key in modern-day bowl game matchups, and while neither side has much, the Red Raiders have a clear edge in that department. With all things considered, I’ll take Texas Tech on the moneyline.

Texas Tech ML (-120) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number up to -140.

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Arkansas

Raynor and Wallace lead Arkansas State past Bowling Green 38-31 in the 68 Ventures Bowl

Published

17 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

Raynor and Wallace lead Arkansas State past Bowling Green 38-31 in the 68 Ventures Bowl

Associated Press

MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Jaylen Raynor passed for 221 yards and two touchdowns to go with a rushing score, and Zak Wallace had 99 yards rushing and a TD to help Arkansas State beat Bowling Green 38-31 on Thursday night in the 68 Ventures Bowl.

Wallace scored on a 14-yard run with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter for a 38-24 lead. He carried the ball on the last six plays of the drive, gaining 59 yards on the eight-play, 68-yard march. It was his 11th rushing touchdown of the season, nine coming in the last six games.

Rahkeem Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 58 yards to give Bowling Green a short field. Five plays later, Smith made a 23-yard catch in the end zone to get within 38-31.

Hunter Summers easily recovered the onside kick and Wallace powered through the middle of the defense for a 19-yard gain to seal it.

Corey Rucker added 107 yards receiving and two touchdowns for Arkansas State (8-5), which won a bowl game for the first time since 2019 — the same year it last won eight games in a season.

Rucker caught a long pass from Raynor and raced for a 79-yard touchdown for a 24-14 lead with 4:13 left in the first half. Following a fumble recovery by Noah Collins, Raynor found Rucker for a 6-yard TD to make it 31-21 early in the third.

Connor Bazelak threw for 390 yards and three touchdowns for Bowling Green (7-6). Harold Fannin Jr. had 17 catches for a career-high 213 yards and a touchdown.

Fannin reached 125-plus yards with a touchdown for the sixth time this season, which leads the FBS.

Bowling Green’s special teams struggled. Zach Long missed his third field goal attempt of the game (one was blocked) with 10:19 left. The Falcons allowed Courtney Jackson to return a punt for a 60-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and BGSU also had a fake punt come up short of a first down in the second half.

Record Holder

Fannin made a catch midway through the first quarter to become the single-season record holder for receiving yards by a tight end in the FBS. He entered needing just 11 yards to surpass Jace Amaro’s record of 1,352 in 2013 at Texas Tech. Fannin finished the season with 1,555 yards.

___

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Liberty Bowl by the numbers: Arkansas vs. Texas Tech

Published

1 day ago

December 26, 2024

Press Room

Liberty Bowl by the numbers: Arkansas vs. Texas Tech

AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Texas Tech (8-4) vs. Arkansas (6-6)

6 p.m. CST Friday (ESPN)

Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee

0 Starts for Texas Tech QB Will Hammond, who will open under center for the Red Raiders against Arkansas after No. 1 QB Behren Morton had shoulder surgery. Morton threw for 3,335 yards and 27 TDs in 2024. Hammond has completed 15-of-23 passes for 191 yards with one TD and no interceptions this season. Hammond won’t have 1,000-yard receiver Josh Kelly to throw to on Friday. The wide receiver has opted out of the game.

1 Previous appearance in the Liberty Bowl for Texas Tech, which defeated Mississippi State 34-7 on Dec. 28, 2021. That kicked off the Red Raiders’ current three-game bowl winning streak that has boosted Texas Tech’s bowl record for 17-23-1.

2 Players in the nation had at least 2,800 passing yards and 500 rushing yards entering the bowl season – Arkansas QB Taylen Green and Washington State QB John Mateer. Green has completed 219-of-360 passes for 2,813 yards with 13 TDs and nine interceptions and run 141 times for 521 yards and seven TDs.

5 2-point conversions have been given up by Arkansas in 2024, tied for the most in the nation entering the bowl season. Texas Tech has scored four 2-point conversions this season.

7 Appearances in the Liberty Bowl for Arkansas when the Razorbacks take the field on Friday, the most in the game’s history (two ahead of Mississippi State). The Razorbacks have a 3-3 record in the Liberty Bowl after winning their past three appearances. Arkansas defeated East Carolina 20-17 in overtime on Jan. 2, 2010, Kansas State 45-23 on Jan. 2, 2016, and Kansas 55-53 in three overtimes on Dec. 28, 2022, and lost to Tennessee 14-13 on Dec. 20, 1971, Auburn 21-15 on Dec. 27, 1984, and Georgia 20-17 on Dec. 29, 1987. Overall, Arkansas has a 17-24-3 bowl record.

8 Victories and three losses for Arkansas against opponents from the Big 12 and its predecessor conferences in bowls. In bowls against other conferences, the Razorbacks have a 9-21-3 record. Overall, Arkansas has a 34-14 record against Big 12 opponents since 1928, when the Big Six formed, including a 39-31 loss in two overtimes to Oklahoma State on Sept. 7.

10 Victories, 19 losses and two ties for Texas Tech against SEC opponents. The Red Raiders played their first game against an SEC opponent on Jan. 1, 1954, when Texas Tech scored a 35-13 victory over Auburn in the Gator Bowl. The Red Raiders have a 4-6-1 record in bowl against SEC opponents.

21 Victories and 11 losses for SEC teams in the Liberty Bowl. The 1965 Liberty Bowl was all-SEC, with Ole Miss beating Auburn 13-7. Big 12 teams have a 4-7 record in the Liberty Bowl. The SEC has a 4-4 record against the Big 12 and its predecessor conferences in the Liberty Bowl.

29 Victories for Arkansas and eight victories for Texas Tech in the Razorbacks-Red Raiders series, although Texas Tech won the most recent meeting 35-29 on Sept. 19, 2015, and has victories in three of the past four meetings. Thirty-two of the 37 meetings came when the teams were members of the Southwest Conference together from 1960 through 1991.

34.5 Points per game have been scored against the Texas Tech this season, the highest average yielded by any bowl participant this season. The Red Raiders led the Big 12 in scoring during the regular season with an average of 38.6 points per game.

97 Third-down snaps were converted into first downs by Texas Texas in 2024, the most in the nation entering the bowl season. The Red Raiders have had 196 third-down snaps, tied for the second-most in the nation and have converted 49.5 percent into first downs, the sixth-best rate in the nation.

103 Yards and two TDs on 20 rushing attempts in 2024 for Rodney Hill, who is listed as the No. 1 running back on Arkansas’ depth chart for Friday’s game. Ja’Quinden Jackson led the Razorbacks with 790 yards and 15 TDs on 149 rushing attempts this season, but he has opted out of the game.

231 Plays from scrimmage gained at least 10 yards for Arkansas in 2024, the second-most in the nation entering the bowl season.

1,140 Receiving yards for Arkansas WR Andrew Armstrong, the most in the SEC this season. But Armstrong has opted out of the bowl, as has No. 2 receiver Isaiah Sategna, leaving WR Isaac TeSlaa as the Razorbacks’ leading receiver entering Friday’s game. TeSlaa has 438 yards and three TDs on 25 receptions in 2024.

1,505 Rushing yards for Texas Tech RB Tahj Brooks this season as he replaced Byron Hanspard as the Red Raiders’ career rushing leader in 2024. By running for at least 109 yards in each of his 11 games this season, Brooks lifted his career total to 4,557 rushing yards, the fourth-most in Big 12 history. Brooks is in Memphis with Texas Tech, but his participation in Friday’s game has not been confirmed by the team.

FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE SEC, GO TO OUR SEC PAGE

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

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