Arkansas Falls to No. 15 Vanderbilt in Four Sets

Arkansas volleyball hosted its first of the final two matches of the regular season on Friday night and was outlasted by No. 15 Vanderbilt 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 17-25, 17-25).

Parker Duncan led the offensive charge for the Hogs with 17 kills on the night, followed by freshman Paisley Pavliska with 11 kills. Gaby Cornier and Madi Benne were the biggest contributors on defense with 12 digs and 11 digs, respectively.

At the net, Arkansas held its own against one of the best teams in the SEC and put up nine total blocks on the day. Aleki Alexander had a team-high four, and Layla Smith and Romani Thurman each had three.

The Razorbacks are now 13-12 overall and 5-9 in the SEC with just one match left in regular season play.

Set 1

Vanderbilt came out with all the fire in the opening set and sprinted to a quick 9-3 lead. The Razorbacks began to right the ship after that, and a 6-1 lead put them within striking distance at 10-9. Arkansas kept chasing, but the Commodores’ attack settled in and stretched their lead back to three at the technical break, 15-12. The Hogs prevented the Dores from going on too many long runs, but they hit their stride late with a 4-0 streak that made it 24-18. Arkansas spoiled the set point once, but a kill from Vanderbilt closed it out 25-19 for the visiting team.

Set 2

There was a bit of back-and-forth to start the second set, until a 4-1 run by the Hogs capped off by a Pavliska kill allowed Arkansas to pull away a bit at 8-5. The Commodores got one back, by the Razorbacks fired off three more unanswered, complete with an ace from Cornier, which made the lead 11-6 and sent Vanderbilt to a timeout. The Commodores battled back from there and came within one at 17-18, which prompted a huddle from the Hogs. Vanderbilt got the next two and retook the lead, but Arkansas wouldn’t go quietly. A Commodore attack error and kill from Thurman quickly made it 23-22 Hogs, and Vanderbilt called time. The Razorbacks carried the momentum through to the end, and a kill from Duncan made it 25-23 and tied the match.

Set 3

Arkansas opened the third set with three straight points for the lead, and early on the Hogs limited the Dores to just one or two at a time while they continued to build the advantage. It didn’t take long for Vanderbilt to find its rhythm, and the Commodores strung together a 6-2 lead to tie it at 10-10. It was Arkansas that was chasing from there, and the Dores led by two at 15-13 as the teams headed to the technical break. The Dores got the first two points out of it, and the Razorbacks regrouped with a timeout. There wasn’t much slowing Vanderbilt down, and Arkansas found itself trailing 23-17 quickly. The Razorbacks took their final timeout of the set, but the Commodores finished it with back-to-back points for the 25-17 set victory.

Set 4

Vanderbilt commanded the early going of the fourth set, stifling Arkansas to one point at a time while the Commodores went in spurts and went ahead 10-5. Vandy controlled the pace for the most part, but the Hogs locked in for a 5-0 run, finished with a block from Alexander and Duncan, that cut the Dores lead to four at 16-12. Following a Vanderbilt timeout, the momentum swung back in the Commodores’ favor, and they quickly went back up by seven at 22-15. Arkansas added two more, but Vandy put together a 3-0 run and sealed the fourth set 25-17 and the match 3-1.

Up Next

The Razorbacks’ regular season finale is on Sunday, Nov. 15 at Barnhill Arena against the Missouri Tigers. First serve is set for 2 p.m. and it will be the team’s Senior Day honoring Laci Bohannan, Gaby Cornier, Lily Dudley, Lakin Laurendine, Ava Roth, Layla Smith and Romani Thurman. Tickets are available online or in person via Razorback Ticket Center, and the match will also be streamed live on SEC Network+.

More Information

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