Arkansas Defeats Ole Miss in Sunday SEC Sweep
The Hogs are off to a 2-0 start in conference play after they swept the Ole Miss Rebels 29-27, 25-19 and 25-23 on Sunday afternoon.
Redshirt freshman outside hitter Aniya Madkin continues to be a big contributor for the Arkansas offense and led the team with 15 kills. Fellow outside Olivia Ruy also had a double-digit day with 12 kills and had just two errors for a .385 hitting percentage. Senior setter Hannah Hogue provided her typical consistency with 38 assists and 12 digs for a double-double and had one ace.
Arkansas’ defense was strong on the day with 19 digs from Courtney Jackson and 13 from defensive specialist Kylie Weeks. Senior middle Zoi Evans provided a team-high eight blocks in the match and added four kills on six swings.
The match was attended by 2,491 fans, the ninth-best crowd in program history.
Set 1
The first set was a dogfight from the start with 20 total ties and no lead bigger than two points for either team at any point. It looked like Arkansas had begun to break away with back-to-back blocks for a 21-19 lead, which sent the Rebels to a timeout, but Ole Miss stayed close and tied it at both 21- and 22-all. It was a back-and-forth battle after that, and the Rebs flipped the lead at 26-25 with a pair of kills. The Hogs huddled and then took the 27-26 advantage off a Hogue ace, which prompted Ole Miss to call time. The Rebels got one more, but a kill from Evans and an Ole Miss attack error closed the set 29-27 in favor of the home team.
Set 2
The Razorbacks opened the middle frame on a 5-0 service run by Hogue, which sent the Rebels to a timeout. Arkansas added two more, and Ole Miss couldn’t do much as the Hogs lead grew larger and larger. The Razorbacks then went on a 4-0 run capped by two aces from Weeks, and Arkansas led 17-6 as the Rebels called time. Ole Miss then began to find a rhythm and scored eight of the next 11 to cut the deficit to seven, and while the Hogs got two away, the Rebels added four straight and made it 23-19. Arkansas regrouped with a timeout and scored the two points needed for a 25-19 set two victory.
Set 3
Ole Miss consistently held the lead midway through the set, never allowing Arkansas to get more than three points at a time. Down 18-15, the Hogs took a timeout, and it worked as they scored three straight points to tie it at 18-all. The Rebels called time and the two teams traded blows from there, with the score tied at 21-21. Each side exchanged a pair of points after that and Arkansas took a final timeout tied 23-23. A kill from Evans brought up set and match point and a final kill from Thurman finished the set 25-23 and match 3-0.
Up Next
Arkansas has a week off before traveling to Norman, Okla. on Sunday, Oct. 6 for the first-ever SEC meeting between the Hogs and Sooners at 2 p.m. The match will be streaming live on SEC Network+.
More Information
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