Hogs Swept by Stangs in Home Opener

After a brief lead in the first set, the Razorbacks fell apart for the remainder of their home opener as they were swept in straight sets (25-14, 25-19, 25-21) by Cal Poly on Friday.

Redshirt freshman Lolo Lambert was a bright spot on the day as she entered the match in the first set for her first collegiate action. She ended the match with six kills and six digs and hit .200.

Junior Romani Thurman led the team in kills with nine, and Arkansas’ middles also chipped in nicely on the offense. Freshman Journey Peppers had six kills on 16 swings for a .312 hitting percentage, and graduate Zoi Evans had four kills on seven swings at a .571 clip.

Sophomore setter Kiki Remensperger continued to be an anchor for the team with 28 assists, four digs and an ace.

Set 1 

The Razorbacks started the first set strong, with service aces by Jada Lawson and Romani Thurman, which helped pace Arkansas to a 5-2 lead. A big block from Zoi Evans and Parker Duncan kept the momentum alive, but five-point run, which gave them a narrow lead at 11-10. Cal Poly continued to ramp up from there. Down 17-12, the Razorbacks called timeout, but Cal Poly closed the set on an 8-2 run to take the opening frame 25-14.

Set 2

The Mustangs started out hot and the Razorbacks found themselves down 6-3 early in the set. Lambert, Evans, and Thurman kept the Hogs in the mix with a kill each to bring the Hogs within three at 10-7. After a Peppers block and another Thurman kill, Arkansas came within two at 12-10. The Mustangs fired back three unanswered and led 15-10 at the media break. Another Cal Poly run came after and the the Razorbacks called timeout down 18-12. A 3-0 run by the Hogs in return forced the Mustangs to huddle, and a service ace by Remensperger made it 18-16, but Cal Poly kept on pushing and grew its lead 22-17. The Mustangs went on to win the second set 25-19.

 Set 3

Cal Poly jumped out to an early lead, but the Hogs responded quickly, and a Duncan kill brought the Razorbacks within one at 5-4. The Mustangs answered by going on an 8-2 run to lead 13-6, when Arkansas took a timeout. A Lambert kill and Cornier ace closed the gap slightly at 13-9, but Cal Poly kept its foot on the gas. The Razorbacks kept chasing but could never chip away enough. They brought some fire late with a Peppers kill and Thurman ace, but nothing was clicking on time and Cal Poly secured the set 25-21 and the match sweep.

Up Next

Arkansas continues the Wooo Pig Invitational on Saturday with a match against Tulsa at 7 p.m. The Golden Hurricane are 2-0 so far in the tournament with wins over Cal Poly and Oklahoma. Single and season tickets are available online or in person, and the match will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

More Information

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