FAYETTEVILLE -- The SEC on Tuesday took a decisive step in delaying the starts to the competitive seasons of the fall sports of soccer, volleyball and men's and women's cross country due to the covid-19 pandemic.
The SEC announced it will postpone the start of competition in each of those sports through at least Aug. 31.
In a release, the SEC said the decision "will provide additional time to prepare for the safe return of competition on an adjusted timeline."
At the University of Arkansas, that equates to the loss of six soccer matches and three volleyball matches. The cross country teams are slated to open the season Sept. 4 at the Arkansas Preview on the Razorbacks' home course.
The decision came one day after UA Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek and his 13 conference colleagues met with Commissioner Greg Sankey at the SEC offices in Birmingham, Ala., to discuss the viability of fall sports, most notably football, and potential scheduling scenarios for them.
The UA soccer team has scrimmages against Memphis (Aug. 9) and Oral Roberts (Aug. 14) wiped out along with the season-opening road trip at Duke (Aug. 20) and North Carolina (Aug. 23), the home opener against the University of Arkansas-Little Rock (Aug. 28) and a home match against Wyoming (Aug. 30).
The current plan would make a road match at Oklahoma on Sept. 4 the season opener for Coach Colby Hale's team.
"Throughout this process the top priority for all of us has been the health and well-being of our student-athletes, fans and staff," Hale said in a UA release. "We all appreciate the hard work and leadership from Commissioner Sankey, Hunter 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 Razorbacks are coming off a 17-4-2 season that featured a 2-0 victory over No. 1 North Carolina, the SEC regular season title with an 8-1-1 record, a run to the SEC Tournament final and a 3-0 victory over North Texas in the NCAA Tournament
Coach Jason Watson's volleyball team will lose its home event, the Arkansas Classic, which had been scheduled for Barnhill Arena on Aug. 29-30. That season-opening tournament would have featured matchups for the Razorbacks against Southern Illinois and Louisiana Tech on Aug. 29 and against Davidson on Aug. 30.
The revised plan would see Arkansas open on the road at TCU for a pair of matches on Sept. 4-5 in Fort Worth.
"Together, our Athletic Department and the SEC, have made the safety of our student-athletes their overriding priority," 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."
The Razorbacks are coming off an 11-19 season in Watson's fourth year that included a 5-13 record in SEC play.
Coach Lance Harter's women's cross country team captured the national championship Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Ind. The Razorbacks also won the SEC Championship at Auburn, Ala, led by the 1-2-4-5 finish of Katie Izzo, Taylor Werner, Carina Viljoen and Devin Clark.
Coach Chris Bucknam's men's cross country team placed third at the SEC Championships at the University of Kentucky Horse Park, and finished 30th at the NCAA meet.
The SEC release stated any rescheduling of the nonconference contests lost in cross country, soccer and volleyball would be determined by each school.
It also stated "The SEC continues to monitor developments related to covid-19 as it evaluates the potential impact on fall schedules in all sports, with the understanding that the primary responsibility of the SEC and its institutions is to ensure the health and well-being of its student-athletes."