Gillen sets ace record as Arkansas wins 12th straight

The No. 13 Razorbacks extended their match streak to 12 wins on Wednesday as the Hogs swept the LSU Tigers in straight sets on the road.

It was a historic victory as graduate outside hitter Jill Gillen recorded her 161st ace in the first set, which puts her in sole possession of the program record for career aces. Gillen also led the offense on the evening with a team-high 15 kills and hit .419.

Senior outside hitter Taylor Head recorded a double-double with 14 kills and 14 digs, and junior setter Hannah Hogue had a stellar night on all sides of the ball with 38 assists, three aces and six digs.

Set 1

The Tigers took an early lead, but two kills from Petties and one from Gillen gave Arkansas a 6-5 edge. The two teams played close from there, but two blocks and a Gillen kill put the Hogs up by three and over 10 points. LSU got one back, but the Razorbacks put up two blocks, including one solo from Evans, for a 13-8 lead that sent the Tigers to a timeout. Arkansas stayed locked in and extended the lead to 16-9 on the Gillen ace that sealed the program record mark for her. Despite the Tigers cutting the lead to as little as two, the Hogs scored three points straight to close the set 25-20.

Set 2

Arkansas quickly jumped out to a 7-3 advantage off an ace from Courtney Jackson, and while the Tigers came within three, the Hogs answered with a five-point run with four kills and a block that pushed the lead to 15-7. The home team held the Razorbacks to just one point at a time from there and narrowed the gap to as little as four, but a kill from Head and LSU attack error brought it to set point. The Tigers spoiled it, but another from Head put the set away 25-19 for the Hogs.

Set 3

LSU briefly held the lead at the start of the third set, but a five-point run with four straight kills from Head made it 7-3 Arkansas. Two more from Head and Gillen put Arkansas over 10 and maintained the four-point advantage, and the Razorbacks locked in from there. The Hogs led by as many as seven and reached 20 points off a Head kill. The Tigers chased and narrowed the gap to three, but Gillen’s 14th and 15th kills took it to set and match point. Head went up for a solo block and made it 25-20 for the third set victory and the match sweep.

Up Next

The Hogs return home on Sunday and face Missouri at 3 p.m. The match will be streamed live from Barnhill Arena on SEC Network+.