Hogs Outshine Orange 3-1 in Showdown at the Net

In Arkansas’ first match of the week out east, the Hogs got off on a winning note as they took down the Syracuse Orange 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 12-25, 25-14) in the ACC/SEC Showdown at the Net.

Sophomore outside hitter Parker Duncan carried a heavy load for the Razorbacks on the night with 20 kills, a new season high. It was the sixth 20-kill match of her career, and she also added 11 digs for her sixth career double-double.

Junior setter Kiki Remensperger paced the offense with 35 assists and contributed nine digs. Romani Thurman, normally a heavy hitter up front, made a big contribution in the back row with a team high 13 digs, just one shy of her career best.

Arkansas had a stellar match at the net with 16 team blocks, the most since Sept. 24, 2024. Middle blocker Aleki Alexander led the way with eight, her third match with eight blocks this season. Senior middle Layla Smith posted seven, a season high for her, and Duncan and Remensperger had four apiece. A total of seven Razorbacks tallied at least one block, making for a balanced presence at the net that kept Syracuse at bay at many points during the match.

The Hogs move to 4-2 on the season with five more matches in their non-conference slate.

Set 1

The opening set went back and forth, and neither team was able to go up by more than one through the midway point. They continued to trade blows until a big run that featured an ace from Gaby Cornier and two Arkansas blocks shifted the momentum the way of the Hogs. Syracuse called two timeouts in that span, but the Orange couldn’t slow down the Razorbacks. Cornier continued her tear at the service line and dialed up another ace to secure the first set victory, 25-19, for Arkansas.

Set 2

Some early errors by Syracuse allowed Arkansas to get out to a 4-2 lead early, one that the Hogs held on to. Three straight kills from Duncan took it into double digits for Arkansas soon after, but Syracuse stayed right with it. A 5-0 run from the Orange made it 14-12 for the home team, but the Hogs settled down and used a 5-1 spurt with three kills, a block, and an ace from Lakin Laurendine and regained the lead, 18-16. Again, the Orange kept on pushing and shifted the momentum back in their favor, 22-19. The Razorbacks then began a 5-0 run that took it to set point, and while Syracuse spoiled it once, an Orange service error sealed the second 25-23 for Arkansas.

Set 3

Syracuse set the tempo in the beginning of the third set, and three unanswered points from the home team gave the Orange an 8-6 lead. From there, Syracuse kept its foot on the gas and capitalized off some Arkansas miscues for a 15-10 lead at the technical break, its biggest advantage all day. The Hogs added just one more point while the Orange tallied three more, and the Hogs headed to a timeout down 18-11. The fatigue really began to show for the Razorbacks as the Orange continued to cruise to a third set victory 25-12.

Set 4

The fourth set opened closely with neither side giving the other much room to breathe through 10 points, which Arkansas got to first off a kill from Laurendine. While Syracuse did come within one soon after, the Razorbacks kept on pushing and back-to-back kills from Duncan made it 17-13 for the Hogs, which sent the Orange to a timeout. It didn’t do much for Syracuse, as Arkansas was unfazed and continued to push the lead past the 20-point mark. Down by nine, the Orange huddled once more, but a block by Alexander and Thurman and a final kill from Duncan punctuated the 25-14 fourth set victory and the 3-1 match final for the Hogs.

Up Next

Arkansas continues its eastern road trip with three matches at the Towson Invitational Sept. 11-12. The Hogs take on Robert Morris on Friday at 9 a.m. and the host Towson Tigers at 6 p.m. The Razorbacks close out the weekend with an 11 a.m. match against Howard on Saturday. The Towson match will be streamed on FloCollege, and the rest of the matches will be accessible via StatBroadcast.

More Information

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