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SEC postpones soccer, volleyball, cross country through August

Arkansas' soccer and volleyball schedules were affected by the SEC's decision Tuesday.
Arkansas' soccer and volleyball schedules were affected by the SEC's decision Tuesday. (Arkansas Athletics)

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Although no decision has been made about the upcoming football season, the Southeastern Conference has suspended soccer, volleyball and cross country competition through Aug. 31.

The move, which was announced Tuesday, affects six soccer matches - including two exhibitions - and three volleyball matches at Arkansas. The Razorbacks’ cross country season is not scheduled to start until Sept. 4, so it has not been altered as of now.

According to a press release from the conference, postponing those sports “will provide additional time to prepare for the safe return of competition on an adjusted timeline.”

Arkansas could reschedule the non-conference matchups impacted by the postponement, but nothing has been determined on that front. It is the first alteration to the fall sports season by the SEC in response to the coronavirus pandemic, which also led to the cancelation of winter and spring sports championships in March.

In soccer, the Razorbacks’ scrimmages at Memphis (Aug. 9) and against Oral Roberts (Aug. 14) have been postponed. Their regular season was scheduled to begin with an ACC road trip with matches at Duke (Aug. 20) and North Carolina (Aug. 23) before returning to Fayetteville for matches against Little Rock (Aug. 28) and Wyoming (Aug. 30).

The two matches at Duke and North Carolina had actually already been postponed because of a similar decision by the ACC to postpone fall sports until at least Sept. 1.

“Throughout this process the top priority for all of us has been the health and well-being of our student-athletes, fans and staff,” soccer coach Colby Hale said in a statement. “We all appreciate the hard work and leadership from Commissioner (Greg) Sankey, Hunter (Yurachek) and others during a very difficult time so we will continue to listen to the guidelines and information they provide. When the time comes, we’ll have a plan and be ready to go.”

The next scheduled match on Arkansas’ schedule is Sept. 4 at Oklahoma.

In volleyball, the Razorbacks were scheduled to host the Arkansas Classic at the end of August, with matchups against Southern Illinois and Louisiana Tech on Aug. 29 and against Davidson on Aug. 30.

Their next scheduled match is Sept. 4 at TCU.

“Together, our Athletic Department and the SEC, have made the safety of our student-athletes their overriding priority,” volleyball coach Jason Watson said in a statement. “The decision today to delay the start of our season is reflective of that shared priority. As a program, we’re committed to playing volleyball this Fall. That’s our goal. We are thankful for the countless hours people on our campus and at the SEC have spent, and continue to spend, on making our goal possible.”

Whether or not fall sports - including football - happen at all this year remains unclear.

The Ivy and Patriot Leagues, Division I conferences that compete at the FCS level in football, have already canceled all sports until Jan. 1. The NJCAA and CCCAA - the two primary junior college associations - have also shifted fall sports to the spring.

At the Power Five level of Division I, the Big Ten was the first conference to make alterations to the football season, announcing a conference-only schedule last week. The Pac-12 followed suit the following day.

No real news came out of the in-person meeting amongst SEC commissioner Greg Sankey and the conference’s athletics departments Monday, but they did discuss scheduling options for competition this fall.

Actual decisions regarding the football season and other fall sports will likely come later this month.

“It is clear that current circumstances related to COVID-19 must improve and we will continue to closely monitor developments around the virus on a daily basis,” Sankey said in a statement. “In the coming weeks we will continue to meet regularly with campus leaders via videoconferences and gather relevant information while guided by medical advisors.

“We believe that late July will provide the best clarity for making the important decisions ahead of us.”

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