No. 21 Arkansas proved that they could compete with the best of the best on Wednesday as the Hogs took the No. 1 Wisconsin Badgers to five sets and came up just short.
Arkansas took the first set 25-21, and Wisconsin answered with a 25-20 victory in the second set. The two teams went toe-to-toe in the third, but the Badgers came away with an extra-point victory of 26-24. The Razorbacks roared back and came away with a 25-22 edge and forced a fifth, which saw nine lead changes. Ultimately Wisconsin battled back for the 15-13 win and match victory.
Graduate hitter Jill Gillen led the team with 22 kills, which places her as No. 3 all-time in career kills in program history. Gillen also had 14 digs on the night for a double-double. Senior hitter Taylor Head was second on the team in kills with 14 and had a team-high 24 digs for third double-double of the season.
Junior and SEC Setter of the Week Hannah Hogue had herself another stellar outing with a career high 57 assists, three blocks and 14 digs for another double-double.
Junior middle blocker Sania Petties played a huge role on both offense and defense and had a career night with a personal best 14 kills and hit .400. She also contributed four blocks, highest on the team.
Those weren’t the only records set in Barnhill on Wednesday as 4,299 fans were in attendance for the match, blowing the previous program high of 3,015 out of the water.
It’s the first time Arkansas has ever gone to five sets with a No. 1, and the two teams will have a rematch on Thursday at 7 p.m. The match will air live on ESPNU.
Set 1
There were five tie scores in the opening set, but Arkansas began to pull away with a three-point run driven by a kill and two aces from Head. The teams never let the other get too hot, but the Hogs also never let the Badgers lead after that. A Wisconsin service error and an ace by Hogue made it 20-17 Razorbacks, and Wisconsin called time. The Badgers came within one, but Arkansas locked in and scored back-to-back for set point. Wisconsin took another timeout, but a kill by Head sealed the first set 25-21 for the Hogs.
Set 2
Arkansas led for most of the set but hit a wall after the 14th point. Wisconsin took advantage of a six-point run and went up 17-14, which sent the Hogs to a timeout. The Hogs tacked on six more points to hit 20 but couldn’t catch the Badgers. They ended up taking the set 25-20 to even the match at 1-1.
Set 3
The third set started tight, but the Hogs added a trio of kills from Cartwright and Petties for an early 7-4 lead. Wisconsin used a timeout to regroup, but couldn’t stop Arkansas’ run, which the Hogs extended to 10-4. The Badgers gave chase and came within two at 14-12, which prompted a Razorback timeout. Wisconsin stayed on Arkansas’ heels, but the Razorbacks used an ace from Maggie Cartwright and went up 21-18. Three straight points brought it to set point, but Wisconsin turned on the jets and made it 24-22. Despite a huddle, the Badgers continued to push and closed out a seven-point run with set point at 26-24.
Set 4
Down but not out, Arkansas used two three-point runs early in the fourth for an 11-7 lead. The Hogs didn’t allow Wisconsin to score more than two points at a time and went up by as many as six. There’s was no catching the home team after that, and the Razorbacks came two away with a kill from Gillen. Wisconsin called time and added one more, but a kill from Wisconsin native Cartwright finished it 25-21 and forced a fifth.
Set 5
The Hogs grabbed the first two points of the deciding set, but the Badgers didn’t back down. The score was tied four times from there, and Wisconsin used a three-point run and went up 8-6. The teams switched sides, and Arkansas began to gain some momentum. Three straight put Arkansas up 10-9, and Wisconsin huddled. The Hogs were up by one three times, and it was 13-12 off a kill from Cartwright, but the Badgers finished it out with three straight for the 15-13 victory and match win.
Up Next
The rubber match between the Razorbacks and Badgers is slated for 7 p.m. on Thursday from Barnhill Arena. It will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
More Information
Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Volleyball. You can also find the Razorbacks on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Volleyball) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackVB).
How Arkansas addressed receiver position in transfer portal
Arkansas offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino lost plenty of production in the passing game to the transfer portal and NFL Draft following the 2024 season.
With starting quarterback Taylen Green set to return for a second season in Fayetteville, the Hogs had to find the 6-foot-6 passer some new weapons. Star receiver Andrew Armstrong is on his way to the NFL, veterans Isaac TeSlaa and Tyrone Broden are out of eligibility, and speedster Isaiah Sategna transferred to Oklahoma.
Along with those departures, younger prospects Dazmin James and Davion Dozier also elected to hit the portal, which left plenty of recruiting for Petrino, receivers coach Ronnie Fouch and head coach Sam Pittman.
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Armstrong led all Southeastern Conference players with 78 receptions for 1,140 receiving yards in the regular season, but it was really a one-man show with him all season.
TeSlaa added 545 receiving yards and Sategna was second on the team with 37 catches. At 6-foot-7, Broden could never break through as a true difference maker, as he caught just 15 passes for 197 yards and barely played late in the year.
Of the players the Hogs are set to return at wide receiver — Jordan Anthony, CJ Brown, Krosse Johnson, Bryce Stephens, Monte Harrison and Shamar Easter (moved from tight end to receiver for Liberty Bowl) — the production from 2024 only combined for a total 18 receptions, 243 yards and one touchdown.
Incoming freshmen such as Warren (Ark.) product Antonio Jordan and Missouri City (Tx.) four-star Ja’Kayden Ferguson are intriguing prospects, but it was clear the Hogs needed to add talent in the transfer portal.
So far, the Razorbacks have signed five transfer portal wide receivers. Three of them put together very solid seasons in 2024 for their respective programs, while one — former four-star and Pine Bluff native Courtney Crutchfield — redshirted and the fifth, Ismael Cisse, was a contributor at Stanford.
Arkansas Wide Receiver Production
Note: Courtney Crutchfield is not part of the table, as he did not record any statistics in 2024.
O’Mega Blake (6-foot-2, 180 lbs) began his career at South Carolina, where he spent three seasons and caught 20 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns. At Charlotte in 2024, Blake caught five passes for 205 yards and three scores in the Nov. 23 win over Florida Atlantic.
Hailing from Fresno State, Raylen Sharpe (5-foot-9, 165 lbs) is very familiar with Petrino. Sharpe spent 2022-23 at Missouri State, where Petrino was head coach from 2020-22. Sharpe caught 73 passes for 991 yards and seven touchdowns at Missouri State in 2023.
Kam Shanks (5-foot-8, 180 lbs) will more-than-likely be the favorite to return punts after leading the nation with 329 punt return yards and two punt return touchdowns this season. Shanks caught five passes for 31 yards and one score in the Sept. 14 loss at Arkansas.
After being committed to Arkansas for nearly seven months out of high school, Courtney Crutchfield signed with Missouri and redshirted after appearing in just two games in 2024. He was rated by Rivals as the No. 2 overall recruit and No. 1 wide receiver in the state of Arkansas in the 2024 recruiting class.
The latest addition to the class, Cisse signed with the Razorbacks on Monday evening following a visit over the weekend. He logged 381 snaps as a freshman in 2024, per Pro Football Focus. Cisse is a former three-star recruit out of Cherry Creek High School in Englewood, Colorado.
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Overshadowed by Arkansas’ 52-point offensive performance was the difficulties the Razorbacks had stopping Tennessee guard Chaz Lanier, who scored 29 points on 10-for-20 shooting, including five threes in a 24-point loss against the No. 1 Volunteers.
Now, the Hogs must deal with a quartet of guards against No. 23 Ole Miss. All four can score in the “randomness” of coach Chris Beard’s system. The Rebels’ top four scorers, Sean Pedulla, Jaylen Murray, Matthew Murrell and Dre Davis are all listed as guards and average double figures.
“These guys run motion,” assistant coach Chin Coleman said. “It’s all random and it’s all different and so, while they’re moving and cutting and screening, you’re going to have to guard every kind of screen there is in the game of basketball. That motion is unpredictable. The freedom of movement, cutting, screening. It’s hard to scheme against. It’s hard to scout.”
Arkansas also must contend with an Ole Miss team that wins the turnover battle on both ends of the floor. The Rebels commit the ninth-fewest turnovers in the country (9.3) and are third-best in turnover margin (+7.0).
“We want to stay on the attack and make plays for one another and not have a lot of live-ball turnovers,” Coleman said. “Those are the ones that we can’t defend against. We want to make teams play against our set defense, which is one of the best in the country. If we can do that and not have live ball turnovers, we’ll be fine.”
Tennessee forced the Razorbacks to commit 15 turnovers, picked up 10 steals and turned it into 13 points. Ole Miss ranks fourth in the SEC at 10.2 steals a game.
Tipoff between Ole Miss and Arkansas is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
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