Watson, Hogs looking for identity after being swept by Mustangs
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Cal Poly Mustangs spoiled Arkansas' home opener, sweeping the Razorbacks aside in straight sets 25-14, 25-19 and 25-21. Arkansas' inexperience showed at times. Only six of the 18 players listed on the Hogs' roster are upperclassmen.
"Just be patient and keep going," coach Jason Watson said. "If you stop working, nothing's going to happen. They're still in a pretty good place." The Hogs scored the first three points, but Cal Poly's veteran experience shone through. Arkansas struggled with the first touch for most of the first set. The Mustangs' service pressure kept the Hogs out of system. An extended 16-3 run proved to be the difference, turning a 10-6 Arkansas lead into a 22-13 deficit. Cal Poly ran most of its offense through outside hitter Annabelle Thalken, who had 14 kills on 18 swings with no errors for a .778 hitting percentage. The first touch issues were prevalent throughout most of the match. Arkansas hit just .138 to Cal Poly's .390. "We hit a ton of balls low," Watson said. "The balls that we shouldn't have hit low resulted in probably setting a block record for the school." Not quite, Cal Poly still had a long way to go to set the school record. The Mustangs finished the night with 14 blocks, 26 off the school record of 40 set against California in 1983. In the second set, Watson opted to start with outside hitter Lolo Lambert. The redshirt freshman gave the team a spark off the bench, getting three early kills in the second set. Cal Poly went on a mid-set run to create some distance. A 6-2 run expanded a 12-10 Mustang lead to 18-12.For the third straight match, setter Kiki Remensperger sparked the team from the service line. She helped the team win four straight points, capped off with an ace, one of five Arkansas hit in the match. Cal Poly closed the set on a 7-3 run to put the Mustangs up two sets. "She's got something with that serve," Watson said. She's able to, if you think about it in terms of on task and a specific seam, she's probably the best one we have right now." Cal Poly never trailed in the third set. The Mustangs clinched the match on their third opprtunity with a kill out of the middle from Chloe Leluge. The Razorbacks now have a quick turnaround for the second of two games at home in the Wooo Pig Invitational. The Hogs will play Tulsa 7 p.m. Saturday and the game will be streamed on SEC Network+.Covers baseball, football and basketball for Arkansas Razorback on SI since 2023, previously writing for FanSided. Currently a student at the University of Arkansas. He’s been repeatedly jaded by the Los Angeles Angels since 2014. Probably silently humming along to whatever the band is playing in the press box. Follow me on X: @dsh12
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