Gamecocks Take Down Razorbacks in Four on Sunday

For the second match in a row, Arkansas volleyball had a big showing in the third set only to run out of time down the stretch as the Hogs fell in four to the South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday (18-25, 20-25, 25-11, 20-15).

The Razorbacks’ performance was largely by committee, as six different hitters made appearances in the match. Junior right side Romani Thurman led the charge with 11 kills on 20 swings with just two errors for a .450 hitting percentage.

Two Hogs tallied career highs in kills on the day: freshman Journey Peppers with 10 and redshirt sophomore Lily Dudley. Peppers had a great outing with a .450 hitting percentage and a team-high three blocks on the day.

Redshirt juniors Avery Calame and Kylie Weeks held down the back row well, with 13 and 15 digs, respectively, a career high for Calame.

The Razorbacks fall to 1-5 in the SEC and 5-12 on the season.

Set 1

The first set was back-and-forth to start, but an 8-2 run for the Gamecocks gave them a comfortable lead at 11-7. The Hogs kept pushing and three straight points, including back-to-back aces from Parker Duncan, put them within at 12-11. South Carolina held the lead from there and everytime Arkansas threatened, the Gamecocks answered with a point spurt to widen the gap. The Razorbacks took a timeout down 22-16, but South Carolina carried the momentum through to the end for a 25-18 set one victory.

Set 2

Again, the Hogs found themselves chasing early on as a pair of big runs gave the Gamecocks a 14-6 lead in the second set. South Carolina went up by as many as nine points, but Arkansas continued to chip away and cut the deficit to six off an ace from Kiki Remensperger at 22-16. The Gamecocks got to set point not long after and while the Hogs spoiled it three times, a service error ended the set in South Carolina’s favor, 25-20.

Set 3

The two teams were tied 3-3 early in the third set, but the Hogs locked in after that and started to roll. They got seven straight points including a pair of kills from Calame and one apiece from Thurman and Lolo Lambert, and Arkansas hit double digits first. South Carolina got closer at 13-7, but Arkansas saw a pair of kills from Dudley and a South Carolina error that pushed the lead to 16-7. The Gamecocks huddled and recovered a bit, but the Hogs got to to 20 with a Peppers kill and got the next five straight – three of which were kills from Lambert – for a commanding 25-11 third set win.

Set 4

The pressure from the Razorbacks didn’t last long as the Gamecocks immediately responded and took an early 8-3 advantage in the fourth set. Arkansas was able to cut the deficit to two with a pair of kills at 10-8 but couldn’t catch up as much as needed. A big 5-0 run put South Carolina up 20-12, and while the Razorbacks tacked on two more, the Gamecocks kept on going and made it 23-15. Arkansas called a timeout to try to stop the bleeding and did get five of the next six, but it was too late as South Carolina pushed on to a 25-20 fourth set victory and its first SEC win of the season.

Up Next

The Razorbacks are on the road for the next two matches in the Lone Star State. They take on No. 2 Texas on Friday, Oct. 17 at 6:30 p.m. and No. 9 Texas A&M Sunday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m. Both matches will be streamed on SEC Network+.

More Information

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