FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Alabama volleyball snapped a 10-match losing streak to Arkansas Wednesday night in Fayetteville, taking down the Razorbacks in four sets by scores of 25-16, 25-22, 16-25 and 25-14.

The win is Alabama’s (11-11, 3-9 SEC) first over Arkansas (5-18, 1-11 SEC) since Sept. 29, 2019, snapping a 10-match losing streak in the series, and the Crimson Tide’s first win in Fayetteville since Oct. 21, 2018.

Alabama scored the first point of set one and led Arkansas for the entirety of the opening frame, winning 25-16. The Razorbacks took their first lead of the match after starting set two on a 4-0 run, but the Tide quickly responded with six unanswered to take back the lead. Arkansas tied the score three times, but Alabama held them at bay each time, capping the set with a 3-0 run to win 25-22 and take a 2-0 lead.

In similar fashion to set two, the Razorbacks got off to a fast start in the third, forcing an early Tide timeout with the home team up 6-1. The rest of the set was all Arkansas, as the home team avoided the sweep with a nine-point win, 25-16, to send the match to a fourth set. Neither team could build a lead larger than two points in the early going of set four until a 3-0 run from the Tide made it 13-9 and forced the Razorbacks to call their first timeout. Alabama scored three more unanswered out of the break and continued to cushion to its lead, eventually winning by 11 at 25-14 to cap the four set road victory.

FROM HEAD COACH RASHINDA REED

“I’m very proud of our team. I feel like there was a hurdle that we were looking to get over and we did that tonight. We’ve had some matches where we’ve been up and then the third set was a struggle and the response in the fourth set wasn’t always ideal. I felt like we did a really nice job tonight of responding to the third set. We’ve been talking about how to be relentless and stay level throughout a match. They did a nice job of staying composed and leaning on each other. We know that we’re a good team and it’s been about overcoming the mental hurdles.

“I think [Kaleigh Palmer] has found this belief in herself. You can just tell she’s playing with a lot of confidence. I love that she’s exploring different ways to score and taking chances. This is something that we’ve seen all along as coaches but it’s beautiful to see when a player recognizes that in themselves.”

NOTES

• Alabama snapped a 10-match losing streak to Arkansas, winning its first match over the Razorbacks since Sept. 29, 2019 in Tuscaloosa
• The Tide’s last win in the series in Fayetteville before tonight was Oct. 21, 2018
• Kaleigh Palmer extended her streak to six straight matches with double-digit kills, finishing the match with 13
• Victoria Barrett earned her second consecutive double-double and her eighth of the season with 17 kills and a season-high 17 digs
• Hannah Parant’s 44 assists are her most in SEC play this season and her third-highest total this season

STAT LEADERS

SET-BY-SET SCORES

• Set 1: Alabama 25, Arkansas 16
• Set 2: Alabama 25, Arkansas 22
• Set 3: Arkansas 25, Alabama 16
• Set 4: Alabama 25, Arkansas 14

UP NEXT

• Friday, Nov. 7 at Oklahoma – Norman, Okla. – 7 p.m. CT