UA volleyball
Arkansas’ volleyball team opens the season at 7 p.m. today against UAPB at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville as part of the Arkansas Classic. On Saturday, the Razorbacks will take on Louisiana Tech (noon) and UALR (7 p.m.).
FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas volleyball team enjoyed a breakout season a year ago. And despite the fact it stretched from October until March because of the pandemic, the Razorbacks were left wanting a little bit more.
Arkansas notched 14 SEC wins — the most since 2003 and the first time to finish over .500 in the league since 2012. But the NCAA Tournament field was sliced from 64 to 48 teams because of covid-19 concerns, and that left the Razorbacks short of their first postseason bid since 2013.
Senior setter Gracie Ryan acknowledged the disappointment of not making the tournament, but she said the team’s not dwelling on that finish. Instead, they will use that as more motivation for this season.
“We knew we were so close, essentially in a regular year with full teams we would have been in,” Ryan said. “Knowing that gave us a boost in confidence. I think we’ve done a good job of using that as kind of a push to the start of this year. The competitive atmosphere in our gym has been awesome.”
The Razorbacks finished 14-8 against an all-SEC schedule, which included a sweep of then-No. 14 Texas A&M. That came after back-to-back sub.500 seasons, leading to more optimism for a team returning three key players who started every match a year ago.
Arkansas Coach Jason Watson, who is entering his sixth season in Fayetteville, is cautious though of drawing any parallels between last season and this one. Many players on his team haven’t even dealt with going to a real classroom in college, Watson said. The team must also deal with some expectations that weren’t there before, he added.
“Each season is its own chapter and we’ve gotta write that chapter still,” Watson said. “It’s a new team with new players in new roles.
“Half our roster hasn’t ever been in class at the University of Arkansas until this week. It’s all new, but it’s good.”
But one thing Watson said most of the undersized group has in common is a chip the players have on their shoulder.
“I’ve shared this more than once, if somebody tells you you’re too short or you can’t play at this level, then you should give us a call because we’ll give you a chance to prove it,” Watson said. “We can’t be the home of every 5-6 outside hitter, but we’re the home of one 5-6 outside hitter.
“She just happens to touch 10-2 or 10-3.”
Watson’s talking about high-flying junior Jillian Gillen, who led the Razorbacks in kills (3.88 per set) a year ago and earned All-SEC honors. She also has one of the most potent jump-serves in the country and ranked second in the league, averaging 0.46 aces per set
But Gillen’s not alone.
“I do feel like we’ve gathered that type of athlete here that at some point in time in their career, a coach or someone has told them, ‘I’m not sure you can play at that level,” Watson said. “I like the fact that we’re recruiting some of those kids we look through that a little bit and are giving them a chance and they are utilizing the resources here to be great.”
Sophomore Taylor Head, a 5-10 outside hitter from Winter Garden Fla., is another key returner. She enjoyed a big freshman season, earning AllSEC honors and being named SEC Freshman of the Year. Head was the only freshman in the country to be ranked in the top 20 in kills and digs per set.
Arkansas opens play tonight at 7 against the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Barnhill Arena as part of the Arkansas Classic. The Razorbacks will also take on Louisiana Tech (noon) and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (7 p.m.) on Saturday. But they enter the season with a few questions to be answered, Watson said.
Maggie Cartwright, a 6-0 junior, and Hailey Dirrigl, a 5-10 redshirt senior, are in a battle for the starting spot on the right side. Five different players are still in the mix at libero, Watson said In addition, 6-1 Abigail Archibong, a graduate transfer from Kansas State, is getting acclimated in the middle where both players who saw the majority of the playing time graduated.
The nonconference schedule includes trips to Montana State, Tulsa and North Carolina State. The Razorbacks won’t be back to Barnhill Arena for almost a month when they open SEC play on Sept. 22 against LSU.
But Watson said it should give his team the chance to answer some of the lineup questions and prepare for league play.
“I don’t know if I ever feel like we’re ready, but I think we’re in a good place, a healthy place,” Watson said. “I don’t know if we have everything figured out, but I imagine nobody does. As we tell our team, ‘Hey, the greatest challenges that we’re gonna face this season we don’t even know yet.’
“We can’t prep for them. We just have to trust we’re mature enough to respond to them when we do face them.”