FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The No. 21 Razorbacks return to Barnhill this week as the team is set to play four matches over four days in the Wooo Pig Invitational Sept. 5-8.
Arkansas hosts Rutgers, Wichita State, Louisiana Tech and Little Rock in the tournament and will play one match each day. The Razorbacks take on the Scarlet Knights on Thursday, the Shockers on Friday and the Lady Techsters on Saturday, each at 7 p.m. The weekend finale against the in-state Trojans is set for Sunday at 2 p.m.
The Hogs will look to build off a good start as they went 3-0 in their opening weekend at the Mustang Invitational hosted by Cal Poly. With a fresh-faced team, four different Razorbacks made their debuts over the three matches, while some returners filled into new roles with more playing time. Transfer outside hitter Romani Thurman stood out with a weekend-high 46 kills and 12 blocks on the weekend, along with a .347 hitting percentage. Seniors Hannah Hogue, Courtney Jackson, Zoi Evans and Sania Petties also all played significant roles and provided consistency for the team in their respective areas at setter, libero, and middle blocker.
It’ll be a special welcome home for the Hogs, as their last home match in December was the second round NCAA Tournament victory over TCU that sent them to their first Sweet 16 since 1998. The team’s historic 2023 run, which ended in the Elight Eight, will be commemorated at Thursday’s home opener with a poster giveaway and the banner on display in the north lobby.
Friday and Saturday’s matches come with a dress code as they’ve been deemed a Red Out and White Out, respectively. Sunday’s matinee is a Retro Match, paying homage to the 30-year anniversary of the program.
Arkansas is coming off an incredible 2023 at Barnhill Arena, in which the team went 14-3 at home with a combined season attendance of 40,078 and an average of 2,358. Both are new program records, and the latter checked in at second in the SEC, 16th nationally. The team had eight of their 10 highest-attended matches in 2023, including the top spot with 4,299 against No. 1 Wisconsin on Aug. 30.
The program also set a new season ticket record last season, which has already been bested prior to the Hogs even taking the court in 2024. Single match and season tickets are still available for this fall online, in-person or by phone via Razorback Ticket Center.
The other four teams in the tournament will play each other over four neutral matches, all of which will be free to attend and do not require tickets. The full schedule is listed below.
Thursday, September 5
Arkansas vs. Rutgers, 7 p.m.
Friday, September 6
Little Rock vs. Louisiana Tech, 11 a.m.
Rutgers vs. Little Rock, 4:30 p.m.
Arkansas vs. Wichita State, 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 7
LA Tech vs. Rutgers, 12 p.m.
Wichita State vs. Little Rock, 4 p.m.
Arkansas vs. LA Tech, 7 p.m.
Sunday, September 8
Arkansas vs. Little Rock, 2 p.m.
Numbers to Know
Rutgers
· Hitting Pct.: .205
· Kills/Set: 11.70
· Assists/Set: 11.40
· Digs/Set: 9.30
· Blocks/Set: 1.70
· Aces/Set: 2.10
· Opp. Hitting Pct.: .310
Wichita State
· Hitting Pct.: .292
· Kills/Set: 11.90
· Assists/Set: 10.60
· Digs/Set: 11.40
· Blocks/Set: 2.10
· Aces/Set: 1.60
Louisiana Tech
· Hitting Pct.: .169
· Kills/Set: 11.20
· Assists/Set: 10.00
· Digs/Set: 13.20
· Blocks/Set: 1.70
· Aces/Set: 1.50
· Opp. Hitting Pct.: .181
Little Rock
· Hitting Pct.: .191
· Kills/Set: 13.75
· Assists/Set: 12.92
· Digs/Set: 17.50
· Blocks/Set: 2.33
· Aces/Set: 1.75
· Opp. Hitting Pct.: .131
Arkansas
· Hitting Pct.: .265
· Kills/Set: 14.08
· Assists/Set: 13.33
· Digs/Set: 17.17
· Blocks/Set: 1.75
· Aces/Set: 0.83
· Opp. Hitting Pct.: .191