Arkansas Takes Down Oklahoma 3-1

The Volley Hogs responded after a first set loss on Friday and came back to defeat the Oklahoma Sooners 3-1 at Barnhill Arena (19-25, 25-23, 25-19, 25-18).

Arkansas was led by a huge performance from senior Lakin Laurendine on offense, as she posted a team high 17 kills with just one error all night for a .485 hitting percentage. She chipped in 10 digs as well for her first double-double of the season. Sophomore Parker Duncan was just behind her with 16 kills, and senior Romani Thurman rounded out Arkansas’ double-digit scorers on the night with 10 and a .350 hitting clip.

The Razorbacks had 11 team blocks on the night to the Sooners’ five, and Layla Smith tallied a team high of seven, two of them solo. Thurman posted five blocks, and sophomore Aleki Alexander had three.

Freshman libero Madi Benne had 13 digs for Arkansas, and junior setter Kiki Remensperger paced the second contact with 44 assists.

The Razorbacks are now 11-10 overall and 3-7 in SEC play.

Set 1

The Razorbacks answered back from a Sooners opening point with a solid 5-0 run that was capped by an ace from Benne for an early lead. It didn’t take long for Oklahoma to catch up, though, and while the Razorbacks were the first to 10, the Sooners put together three unanswered points that put them up by two at 12-10. Arkansas kept chipping away and the Razorbacks were at striking distance at 15-14, but the Sooners got four of the next five to extend their advantage. Oklahoma got three points from Tekoa Barnes alone, including back-to-back aces, and went up 22-16. Arkansas ultimately ran out of time in the first as the Sooners took it 25-19.

Set 2

Arkansas got the first two tallies of the opening set, including an ace from Duncan. After that, the early goings were largely back-and-forth until OU used a 4-0 run to take a lead at 7-6. The Sooners continued to pour on offense and excellence at the service line, and Oklahoma led by five at the technical timeout, 15-10. Arkansas came out of it with a 5-1 run, capped off with an ace from Gaby Cornier, and was within one at 16-15. A rare miss from Oklahoma’s Barnes in service put the Hogs back at the line and from there, Arkansas went on a 4-0 run including two kills from Thurman that gave the Razorbacks a 21-19 lead. Following an Oklahoma timeout, the Sooners tacked on two more to tie it, which prompted an Arkansas timeout. The Hogs stayed calm and rode the momentum to a 25-23 set victory that tied the match 1-1.

Set 3

The two teams went toe-to-toe initially in the third, but a big challenge that resulted in a kill for Aleki Alexander sparked a 3-0 Razorback run and 6-3 lead. Arkansas limited Oklahoma to just one point at a time while the Hogs continued to control the tempo, and the Sooners called time down four at 12-8. The Razorbacks continued to keep them at bay just enough, and Arkansas held a 15-12 advantage at the technical timeout off a kill from Duncan. Oklahoma couldn’t find a solution for the Hogs, and Arkansas pushed to 20 first thanks to a solo block from Smith. The Sooners continued to chase but a kill from Laurendine and a block from Alexander and Remensperger sealed the set 25-19 and put the Hogs ahead 2-1.

Set 4

Arkansas had all the juice to start the fourth set and used a fantastic 5-0 run with two Duncan kills to go up 11-4. Everything was clicking for the Hogs, and three blocks and a Duncan kill saw Arkansas double up on Oklahoma, 16-8. The Sooners fought back a bit with a 3-0 run, but the Razorbacks quickly raced to 20 points with Duncan’s 15th of the night. Oklahoma chipped away until the end, but Duncan managed to put it away with yet another kill, 25-18, and secured the match 3-1.

Up Next

Arkansas now heads on the road for three straight, starting with a matchup with No. 4 Florida on Sunday, Nov. 1. First serve is set for 12 p.m. CT. and the action will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

More Information

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