Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
UA volleyball set to start after virus delay
FAYETTEVILLE — Hailey Dirrigl acknowledged she’s still apprehensive about dealing with covid-19, but she’s also excited to finally get on the volleyball court as the University of Arkansas volleyball team opens its season this weekend at Mississippi State.
“I’m not nervous about my team and my bubble,” Dirrigl said. “Traveling, we’re chartering, so that’s nice. My biggest concern is the other team. I know teams are getting tested, but you never know how diligent other teams are being.”
The 6-2 junior outside hitter from Phoenix redshirted last season while dealing with an ankle injury, but she and her teammates are eager to show off the work they’ve put in during a somewhat disjointed offseason.
“I’m just extremely excited to go shock people,” said Dirrigl, who led the team in points scored and ranked seventh in the league with 3.61 kills per set in 2018. “I think we’ve been the underdogs for long enough to where we’re gonna have some nice wins under our belt this season. And it will be fun to watch and fun to play in.”
The Razorbacks, who finished 11-19 overall a year ago and 5-13 in the SEC, open the eight-match fall season at Mississippi State on Saturday at 11 a.m. on the SEC Network. They host Ole Miss the following Saturday and Sunday in Barnhill Arena.
Arkansas Coach Jason Watson, who is beginning his fifth season in Fayetteville, said his team — which has four freshmen — has taken advantage of the season getting pushed back to mid-October.
“We don’t wish this on anybody,” Watson said. “It’s a terrible thing. Selfishly, there’s been some positives come out of this in terms of preparing our team. We have lots of people coming back and lots of them are really young. Extra practice time for our young athletes is not a bad deal.”
Dirrigl and sophomore Jillian Gillen are two of the talented returners. Gillen, a 5-10 outside hitter, made the AllSEC Freshman team and was the only SEC player to post 20-plus kills and 20-plus digs in a match last season.
Freshman Taylor Head, a 5-10 outside hitter from Winter Garden, Fla., will push for playing time immediately, Watson said. Head enrolled in January and has gotten Watson’s attention.
“She’s our best passer, our best defender,” Watson said. “She’s really good. She could be one of the best passers I’ve ever had in one of my gyms.”
Those three along with walk-on Allyson Dernehl are having a good competition for the two starting outside hitter spots, Watson said.
Junior middle hitter Ellease Crumpton, who played in less than half of the Razorbacks’ 113 sets a year ago, is another player who has come into her own recently.
“I’m really impressed with what Ellease has done,” Watson said. “It’s gonna be hard not to have her on the floor. She’s been the first kid in the gym and the last one to leave.”
Teams will play an abbreviated fall schedule because of the pandemic, but they will also play in the spring with an NCAA volleyball championship to be contested.
Watson always was in favor of playing in the fall, but he likes that the SEC showed patience during the pandemic.
“I think we know more and have a better sense of some things,” Watson said. “Football and soccer have gone before us and they’re learning how to deal. We’re the first indoor sport to get going, so there’s a nuance to it.
“Playing eight, I think it’s fair. I was also for playing in the fall. I wanted to play because that’s what my team wanted. It gives us an opportunity to learn how to travel and how this is going to work out.”