Arkansas Sweeps South Carolina on Friday

The Razorbacks started a new streak on Friday as they swept the Gamecocks for their second consecutive home win.

It was a big night in many ways as redshirt freshman Olivia Ruy led the team with 17 kills, a new career high. She had just three errors on 31 swings for a .452 hitting percentage, and contributed seven digs.

Ruy was one of three Hogs with double digit kills on the night, followed by Aniya Madkin with 14 and Romani Thurman with 12. Both chipped in two blocks apiece and Thurman had a match-high .455 clip among Arkansas’ hitters.

Senior libero Courtney Jackson tallied a team-high 24 digs on the night, which pushed her to 1,675 in her career, good for third all-time in the Arkansas record book.

Senior setter Hannah Hogue posted 42 assists and 10 digs, which marked her sixth straight double-double, and had two aces.

Set 1

While the Gamecocks jumped out to a 4-0 lead, the Hogs stayed vigilant and went on a blistering 7-0 run with three kills from Ruy that pushed it to 10-6 in favor of Arkansas. South Carolina called time but couldn’t do much to stop Arkansas, as the Hogs extended their lead to 14-7 with another three straight kills from Ruy. The Razorbacks kept rolling and led by 11 with an ace from Hogue, and the Gamecocks couldn’t find a way to generate a run. A kill from Thurman pushed it to set point and Ruy’s ninth of the set closed the door 25-13 for the Hogs. Arkansas hit .519 in the opening set and had just three errors with 17 kills.

Set 2

The Hogs started the second set with the lead and pushed it to six with an early 4-0 run. South Carolina began to find some tempo after that but couldn’t do much to chip into the Arkansas advantage as the Hogs went up 16-10 with an ace from Kylie Weeks. A kill from Sania Petties and a South Carolina attack error pushed Arkansas over 20, and the Razorbacks continued to cruise. A block from Madkin and Zoi Evans took it to set point, and a Madkin kill solidified the 25-16 set victory and put Arkansas up 2-0.

Set 3

The third set was the closest of the match as the two teams tied the score seven times early on. The Gamecocks used a four-point run and got an 11-9 lead, but Arkansas quickly tied it with back-to-back points, including an ace from Hogue. Points were traded from there, but South Carolina steadily held a lead at 19-16, which prompted an Arkansas timeout. The Hogs then got three in a row, which sent the Gamecocks to a huddle, but Arkansas went up 20-19 on a South Carolina error. The Gamecocks continued to chase, but a kill from Thurman sent it to set point. South Carolina got one more, but a final Ruy kill made it 25-23 for Arkansas and sealed the sweep.

Up Next

Arkansas starts a four-match road swing next week with contests at Ole Miss and LSU. Action in Oxford on Friday is set for 6:30 p.m. and Sunday’s matinee in Baton Rouge is at 2 p.m.

More Information

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