Arkansas players Blaine Knight, Dominic Fletcher and Luke Bonfield talked with the media Friday night after beating Auburn, 2-1, to start their big SEC series.
Razorbacks down Alabama for third straight win over Crimson Tide
FAYETTEVILLE — Dominant doubles play and a strong singles effort helped Arkansas to a 4-1 victory against Alabama on Friday night.
It was the Hogs’ third straight win over the Crimson Tide.
The Razorbacks (6-13, 2-8 SEC) opened the night picking up the doubles point. Ana Oparenovic and Tatum Rice teamed up for a 6-2 win over Andie Daniell and Smith Hinton at the top spot.
Arkansas picked up the win as the rain began to fall forcing a delay on the outside courts.
The teams moved inside and resumed play after a nearly 20-minute delay. Arkansas dropped the match at No. 2 but finished strong with a 6-2 win at No. 3 by Agne Cepelyte and Natsuho Arakawa to clinch the opening point.
Moving right into singles play, the Razorbacks got a first-set win at No. 1 with Giulia Pairone defeating Daniell, 6-1.
Arkansas dropped the first sets at No. 4 and 5 but rallied with 6-3 first-set wins from Oparenovic and Mia Jurasic as the momentum swung back and forth between the teams.
Pairone continued her strong play taking a quick lead in the second set. She never trailed getting the 6-1, 6-3 win. The center-court victory gave Arkansas a 2-1 lead with four courts still playing.
Jurasic picked up the second singles win of the night with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Jacqueline Pelletier at No. 3, never trailing.
Courts two, four and six all went to a third set.
Arakawa secured the Arkansas win over the Tide (13-13, 0-10 SEC) with a thrilling come-from-behind win on court four over Ann Selim.
After dropping the first set, 2-6, Arakawa rallied to win 6-2, 6-4 in the final two sets.
Up Next
Seniors Peyton Jennings and Jurasic will be recognized prior to Sunday’s Senior Day match at 1 p.m. against No. 17 Auburn.
Doors will open at noon with the ceremony slated to begin at approximately 12:50 p.m.
Spring schedule starts Saturday at home against Kansas State
FAYETTEVILLE — As part of its spring schedule, Arkansas plays three of four spring dates at Barnhill Arena beginning with Saturday’s scrimmage against Kansas State.
The doors open at 12:30 p.m. All spring home matches are free and open to the public.
2018 Arkansas Volleyball Spring Schedule (all times central)
April 7 vs Kansas State – 12:30 p.m.
April 12 vs Drury – 7 p.m.
April 21 at Oklahoma – TBA
April 26 vs Missouri State – 6 p.m.
Rising seniors Kelly O’Brien and Okiana Valle will lead the Razorbacks into the 2018 campaign.
Arkansas finished the 2017 season with 19-11 overall record its second year under coach Jason Watson.
The team’s record was a 10-win increase from the previous season.
The Razorbacks’ roster also features Elizabeth Pamphile and Rachel Rippee who attended the USA Volleyball Open Tryouts in early March.
Hogs set for final regular-season home matches this weekend
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas returns home to the George M. Billingsley Tennis Center this weekend for its final two home matches of the regular season.
Match Days & Times
The Razorbacks (5-13, 1-8 Southeastern Conference) will host Alabama (13-12, 0-9 SEC) at 5 p.m. CT Friday before they welcome No. 17 Auburn (16-9, 4-5 SEC) for Senior Day at 1 p.m. CT Sunday.
Senior Day
Seniors Peyton Jennings and Mia Jurasic seniors will be recognized prior to Sunday’s match. Doors will open at noon with the ceremony slated to begin at approximately 12:50 p.m.
Live Coverage
Fans can follow both matches via live scoring at RazorbackStats.com.
Promotions
Admission is free. All matches will feature complimentary pizza, Keurig products, popcorn and Pepsi soft drinks for all fans in attendance.
Last Season Against The Crimson Tide And Tigers
n 2017, during the regular season and for the second straight year Arkansas picked up wins at Alabama and then-No. 11 Auburn.
The Razorbacks topped the Tide 4-3 and then beat the Tigers 4-2, each on the road.
Series History
The Razorbacks own a 20-18 advantage all-time against the Tigers, while the Crimson Tide hold an 18-15 edge over the Razorbacks.
In The Rankings
In singles, Giulia Parione is ranked No. 51 and Ana Oparenovic is ranked No. 81. In doubles, Oparenovic and Tatum Rice are ranked No. 51.
Dominant Doubles
Rice and Oparenovic are among the SEC’s best doubles duos with an 11-4 record at the No. 1 spot. Rice is also ranked No. 54 with Jackie Carr. Pairone and Jurasic have also been dominant in doubles at 11-4 this spring, the second-most wins among all SEC doubles duos at the No. 2 position. The pair is 6-2 in SEC play.
Pitching matchup in first game highlights Hogs-Auburn series
FAYETTEVILLE — Coming off a two-game midweek sweep of ULM earlier this week,Arkansas hopes to continue its good play at home when it faces Auburn this weekend for a key three-game series at Baum Stadium.
Auburn will be the fourth-consecutive top-15 team that Arkansas has had to face to open SEC play.
The Razorbacks are 5-4 in league play through the first three weekends and sit just one game back of SEC Western Division leader Ole Miss.
Friday night’s matchup is expected to be one of the best pitching duels in the nation this year as Arkansas’ Blaine Knight will face off against Auburn’s Casey Mize.
Knight has two consecutive victories under his belt for the Razorbacks, winning at No. 2 Florida and No. 4 Ole Miss.
In seven starts this year, Knight has garnered a 2.01 ERA with just nine earned runs allowed in 40.1 innings. His ERA is the fourth lowest in the SEC and his earned run total is the fifth lowest.
On the opposing side, Mize comes in as one of the best pitchers in the nation.
With a 2.11 ERA, Mize has struck out a conference-best 70 batters and leads the nation in strikeout-to-walk ratio (23.33).
Mize will have to face one of the hottest hitters in the league in Razorback freshman Heston Kjerstad.
Kjerstad is currently on a team-best 14 game hitting streak and is hitting an even .400 this season, good for a tie for second among all SEC players.
Since the streak started on March 14 against Texas, Kjerstad has hit .439 with 25 hits, 15 RBIs, five doubles, six home runs, and only 11 strikeouts.
FOLLOW LIVE
Games one and two will be streamed via SEC Network+, the online-only arm of the SEC Network on WatchESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app.
Brett Dolan (PxP) and Troy Eklund (Analyst) will have the call. Sunday’s series finale will be broadcast on the SEC Network with Jason Benetti (PxP) and Todd Walker (Analyst) calling the game.
Phil Elson will call all three games on the radio for the Razorback Sports Network from IMG and he’ll be joined by former Razorback Bubba Carpenter.
The radio broadcasts are also available on the Razorback Gameday app.
IMPORTANT LINKS (ALL TIMES CENTRAL)
Fri, April 6 – Arkansas vs. Auburn – 6:30 p.m. – LIVE STATS | WATCH (SECN+)
Sat, April 7 – Arkansas vs. Auburn – 6 p.m. – LIVE STATS | WATCH (SECN+)
Sun, April 8 – Arkansas vs. Auburn – 4 p.m. – LIVE STATS | WATCH (SEC Network)
PROBABLE STARTERS
FRI: ARK RHP Blaine Knight (2.01 ERA, 5-0, 43 K, 10 BB) vs. AU RHP Casey Mize (2.11 ERA, 6-0, 70 K, 3 BB)
SAT: ARK LHP Kacey Murphy (2.25 ERA, 3-2, 26 K, 6 BB) vs. AU RHP Davis Daniel (3.34 ERA, 2-1, 30 K, 15 BB)
SUN: ARK TBA vs. AU TBA
RAZORBACK PRIME 9
• Arkansas hosts its first home SEC series in three weeks as the 13th-ranked Auburn Tigers visit Baum Stadium for a three-game series. Auburn will be Arkansas’ fourth-consecutive top-15 conference opponent.
• The Hogs picked up their fourth shutout of the season Wednesday against ULM after utilizing a seven-inning scoreless performance from freshman pitcher Caleb Bolden.
• Freshman Heston Kjerstad is on a team-best 14-game hitting streak going into Friday’s game against Auburn. During the streak. Kjerstad is hitting .439 with an .842 slugging percentage and six home runs.
• Kjerstad’s second-inning home run Wednesday against ULM was a tape-measure shot, traveling 430 feet well over the right-centerfield scoreboard at Baum Stadium.
• Arkansas still leads the SEC and ranks second in the nation with 55 home runs, 15 ahead of its SEC-leading pace last year.
• The Razorbacks have played nine one-run games this season, winning four of them. Most recently, Arkansas won its first extra-inning affair against ULM, 10-9, on Tuesday.
• Blaine Knight won his second-consecutive start last week against No. 4 Ole Miss, moving to 6-0. In five of his seven starts, Knight has thrown six or more innings and struck out four or more.
• Arkansas is 16-2 in games played at Baum Stadium this year. As a team, the Hogs are hitting .351 inside the friendly confines with 38 home runs hit. The pitching staff has a combined 2.61 ERA and a .229 opposing batting average.
>> In 18 games this year, Arkansas has totaled 10 or more hits. In those games, the Hogs are 15-3 with 13 of those wins coming at Baum Stadium.
Nance on playing faster and making big plays in new offense
Arkansas wide receiver Jonathan Nance talks about how the new offense will generate big plays and put more points on the scoreboard.
Pettway on wide receivers’ strong efforts in Thursday practice
Arkansas running back La’Michael Pettway on playing in Little Rock again and how receivers are handling new offensive terminology and more.
Whaley on how new offense helping Hogs’ running game
Arkansas running back Devwah Whaley talked with the media after Thursday’s practice and talked about how the new offense is opening up the running game.
Gibson on offensive line’s progress through spring practice
Arkansas offensive lineman Johnny Gibson talked with the media after Thursday’s practice on the progress of the line and spring game.
Arkansas golfers back in action at Aggie Invitational this weekend
FAYETTEVILLE — Following an 18-day break from competition, Arkansas returns to the links this weekend, traveling to Bryan, Texas, to compete in the Aggie Invitational for the sixth consecutive season.
The Razorbacks continue to play one of the toughest schedules in the country, facing five of the top 10 teams in the nation, including top-ranked Oklahoma State and No. 2 Texas A&M on its home course.
The 54-hole event will be played at the Jack Nicklaus designed Traditions Club, a par 72, 7,146-yard course that opened in 2004. Teams will play 36 holes on Saturday, April 7, before coming back for 18 holes on Sunday, April 8. Live scoring is available at Golfstat.com or via the Golfstat Live app.
The Razorbacks return to the always-tough Aggie Invitational for the sixth straight year, having posted top-three finishes at the event twice in the last three years. The 14-team field will serve as the team’s final tune-up before postseason play.
Alvaro Ortiz leads the team with a 70.1 stroke average, while Mason Overstreet is right on his heels at 70.4 The duo has combined to shoot 33-under par on the year. Luis Garza is third on the team in stroke average and joins Ortiz and Overstreet as individual winners this season.
Arkansas enters the final tournament of the regular season with a 94-34-2 overall head-to-head record, including a 49-23-2 mark during the spring campaign. The Razorbacks have multiple team victories for the sixth time in the last eight years and are looking for a third title for the first time in six seasons.
Live scoring will be available at Golfstat.com or via the Golfstat Live app.
The Rundown
Schedule: April 7-8 | 36 holes on Saturday, 18 on Sunday
Course: Traditions Club | Bryan, Texas
Yardage: 7,146 – Par 72
Format: Play 5, count 4
Razorback Lineup
1. Alvaro Ortiz, Jr. (70.1)
2. Mason Overstreet, So. (70.4)
3. Luis Garza, Fr. (71.8)
4. William Buhl, Fr. (71.9)
5. Tyson Reeder, So. (74.8)
IND. Landon Ernst, Fr. (74.2)
The Field
No. 8 Alabama
No. 16 Arkansas
No. 10 Baylor
Denver
Houston
No. 25 Kent State
No. 12 LSU
Michigan
New Mexico
New Mexico State
North Texas
No. 1 Oklahoma State
No. 2 Texas A&M
No. 6 Texas Tech
