For the second time this season, sophomore Rachel Rippee has been selected as the SEC Setter of the Week an announced Monday afternoon by the league office. Over two matches last week, she averaged 12.11 assists per set in road contests at Georgia and Ole Miss. This marks the Razorbacks’ fifth SEC weekly honor of 2017 coupled with three previous accolades for redshirt senior Pilar Victoria.
Arkansas (16-7, 6-5 SEC) returns to Barnhill Arena this weekend for two home dates beginning Friday, Nov. 3 against LSU. First serve of the match is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT). The Razorbacks carry an 8-1 record on their home floor this season.
Rippee dished out 50 assists and guided the Razorbacks to a .336 hitting percentage in the team’s match at Georgia, good for the seventh match of the season with a .300 or higher offensive efficiency. She finished the match with 50 assists, four digs and four total blocks.
The sophomore setter closed out the week by tying her career high with 59 assists, nine digs and three blocks in Arkansas’ comeback, five-set win at Ole Miss. The Razorbacks trailed 2-1 and were down by five points early in the fourth set before posting their fifth five-set triumph of the season. In the decisive fifth set, Rippee directed her team to a .500 hitting percentage to secure the win.
The Springfield, Mo., native ranks second in the SEC and 12th in the NCAA with 11.58 assists per set while orchestrating a .256 team hitting percentage which is 34th in the nation. During Sunday’s match at Ole Miss, Rippee surpassed 2,000 career assists and moved into sixth place on the program’s all-time list.
