Hogs' Comeback Bid Falls Short in Starkville
For the second time in as many matches, Arkansas rallied back from being down two sets and forced a fifth, but this time the Razorbacks fell short and lost to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in five (16-25, 14-25, 25-22, 25-14, 7-15).
Some late changes to the lineup proved to make a big difference for Arkansas as the Hogs fought back in the third and fourth sets. Freshman outside hitter Paisley Pavliska entered the match in the third set for just her fourth appearance on the season and ended up notching a personal best 14 kills. She was just one dig shy of a double-double with nine, also a new career high.
Senior Lakin Laurendine also had 14 kills and a .364 hitting percentage, the highest among Arkansas’ starters for the day.
Sophomore middle blocker Journey Peppers entered in the second set, her first action since Sept. 12, and chipped in a team-high three blocks and five kills. She had just one attack error in the match and hit .364.
Junior setter Kiki Remensperger played for the first time in three weeks and tallied 41 assists and 16 digs for a double-double, her eighth of the season.
In the back row, senior Gaby Cornier recorded a season high of 20 digs in the outing, and freshman libero Madi Benne totaled 16.
Arkansas is now 10-10 on the season, 2-7 in conference play.
Set 1
The Razorbacks got the first point of the set, but the Bulldogs quickly jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Arkansas came within two shortly after off an ace from Parker Duncan, but it was all State from there. The Bulldogs limited the Hogs to no more than two points at a time while they kept on pushing and eventually went up by 10. Arkansas called time, but there was simply no stopping the Bulldogs and they easily cruised to a 25-16 first set victory.
Set 2
Again, the Hogs had trouble putting together lasting point streaks while the Bulldogs stayed sharp and built a 7-3 lead early on. Arkansas showed some more life than in the opening set and kept it closer, but the Bulldogs managed to lead by at least two through their first 10 points. State continued to capitalize on chances and used its quick defense to expand the advantage to 15-10 at the technical break. The Bulldogs were rolling from there and pushed the lead to 18-10, prompting an Arkansas timeout. The Hogs were only able to add four more, while the home team claimed the second, 25-14, and went up 2-0 in the match.
Set 3
The Razorbacks saw some personnel changes pay off early in the third set, as Journey Peppers and Paisley Pavliska notched kills to help push the Hogs to a 5-3 lead, their biggest of the match. State fought back and reclaimed an 8-6 advantage, but Arkansas had found its groove and used a 4-0 run to go up 12-9. State called time, but the Razorbacks continued to hold the momentum and led 15-11 at the technical timeout. The Bulldogs got things going after that and went on a 4-1 run to cut the deficit to one, and the Hogs huddled. It was close from there, but Arkansas was the first to 20. A block from Peppers and Remensperger put the Razorbacks two away at 23-21, and while State tried to stifle them with a timeout, a kill from Pavliska secured the 25-22 set three victory for the Hogs.
Set 4
The two teams steadily traded blows in the beginning of the fourth set until a pair of Razorback errors made it 8-7 in favor of State. Arkansas immediately answered though and were the first to 10 off a kill from Laurendine. She then added a solo block and another kill to put the Hogs up 12-9, which sent the Bulldogs to a timeout. Benne put down an ace, and then a State net fault quickly made it 14-0 for Arkansas. The run continued for the Hogs as they pulled ahead 17-10, and a kill from Alexander pushed the Razorbacks over 20 points. Arkansas continued the fight and Thurman secured the set with a kill 25-14, forcing a fifth.
Set 5
Arkansas got the first point of the fifth thanks to a Bulldog service error, but State quickly took the momentum and limited the Razorbacks to just one point at a time while the home team hit double digits first at 10-6. The Bulldogs had all the energy and also took advantage of Hog mistakes as they won the deciding set 15-7.
Up Next
The Hogs return home this week and take on Oklahoma on Friday, Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. CT. The match will be broadcast live on SEC Network and will be Arkansas’ Halloween Bash, with pre-match trick-or-treating with the Razorback mascots and a costume contest. Tickets are available online, by phone, or in-person via Razorback Ticket Center.
More Information
Visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the latest information on all things Arkansas Volleyball. You can also find the Razorbacks on social media by liking us on Facebook (Arkansas Razorback Volleyball) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@RazorbackVB).
