BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Hogs will have their first road tests this weekend as No. 17 Arkansas is set to play College of Charleston, Western Kentucky and Troy in the University Plaza Invitational Friday and Saturday from Bowling Green.
The Razorbacks will have a doubleheader with the Cougars and host Hilltoppers on Friday, with matches at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively. They close out the tournament with a tilt against Troy on Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. It’s just the second meeting ever between Arkansas and Western Kentucky, and the first between the Hogs and College of Charleston and Troy.
Friday evening’s match with the Hilltoppers will be streamed on ESPN+. The other two matches will not be streamed, but live stats will be available.
Arkansas comes into the weekend’s action ranked No. 17, the team’s highest mark since 1999. The Hogs are the second-highest ranked SEC team in this week’s coaches poll, behind No. 3 Florida.
Scouting the Series: College of Charleston
First-ever meeting between Razorbacks and Cougars
CoC has already played eight matches on the season and has gone 3-5
Last competed on Tuesday and earned a sweep over Charleston Southern
Stat Leaders — College of Charleston
Kills/set: Lexi Wierzbicki | 3.78 | 87
Assists/set: Hannah Scott | 8.36 | 117
Digs/set: Elli Kinney | 3.32 | 83
Blocks/set: Sofie Vogel | 0.73 | 16
Aces/set: Olivia Van Der Werff | 0.67 | 6
Scouting the Series: Western Kentucky
Both the Hogs and Hilltoppers made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022
WKU has a ranked win over Marquette this season
Just the second-ever meeting between Arkansas and Western Kentucky, and the first in the Bluegrass State
Stat Leaders — WKU
Kills/set: Paige Briggs | 3.30 | 66
Assists/set: Callie Bauer | 10.21 | 245
Digs/set: Kelsey Brangers | 3.04 | 73
Blocks/set: Logan Grevengoed | 0.87 | 20
Aces/set: Paige Briggs | 0.50 | 10
Scouting the Series: Troy
First contest between Arkansas and Troy
The Trojans have already played two ranked teams this season in Louisville and Washington State
Third consecutive away tournament for Troy to begin the 2023 slate
Stat Leaders — Troy
Kills/set: Amiah Butler | 3.75 | 60
Assists/set: Janelle Stuempfig | 9.81 | 157
Digs/set: Jaci Mesa | 2.38 | 38
Blocks/set: Sydney Austin | 1.75 | 14
Aces/set: Olivia Grantham | 0.25 | 4
Stat Leaders — Arkansas
Kills/set: Jillian Gillen | 4.55 | 100
Assists/set: Hannah Hogue | 10.95 | 241
Digs/set: Taylor Head | 3.41 | 75
Blocks/set: Zoi Evans | 0.82 | 18
Aces/set: Taylor Head/Hannah Hogue | 0.41 | 9