Razorbacks Down Rebels 3-1 Sunday Afternoon
Arkansas volleyball had its regular season road finale on Sunday and came away with a victory as the Hogs defeated the Ole Miss Rebels 3-1 in Oxford (25-20, 22-25, 25-22, 25-14).
Arkansas’ offensive effort was led by Parker Duncan, who had 20 kills and just four errors on the day for a .340 hitting clip. It was her sixth 20+ kill match of the season, and second of the week.
While Duncan was the only one with double-digit kills for the Hogs, they still saw big efforts from Paisley Pavliska, Aleki Alexander and Layla Smith, who all hit at least .350 on the day. Pavliska was just shy of 10 with nine kills and only one hitting error for a .471 percentage.
Setter Kiki Remensperger did a fantastic job pacing the offense with 45 assists. She also added 10 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. Libero Madi Benne held down the back row well with a match-high 12 digs for Arkansas.
It was an impressive day at the net for the Razorbacks. They put up 14 total blocks, the most since Oct. 11 and the second-most all season. Layla Smith tallied a team-high eight, Remensperger had seven, and Alexander had six.
The Razorbacks are now 13-11 overall and 5-8 in conference action with two matches left in the regular season slate.
Set 1
Arkansas started the set with the lead and doubled up on the Rebs with back-to-back blocks that made it 8-4 and sent Ole Miss to a timeout. The Rebs fired back three straight, but Arkansas stayed cool and reached double digits first off a kill from Smith. Any time Ole Miss started to threaten, the Hogs fought back, and Arkansas held a 15-11 lead at the technical break. The Razorbacks continued to roll and hit 20 points first, and the Rebels could find the comeback they needed. A block from Remensperger and Alexander secured the first for Arkansas, 25-20.
Set 2
The early points of the second set were close between the two until a pair of kills from Duncan made it 6-4 for Arkansas. The lead didn’t last long, and Ole Miss used a pair of points to hit 10 first at 10-8. The Hogs tied it shortly after at 12-12, but the Rebs went on a 3-0 and took the lead back heading into the media timeout. Ole Miss held the momentum after, and Arkansas found itself chasing the rest of the way. The Razorbacks did make a late 3-0 push, but Ole Miss needed only one more and took the second set 25-22.
Set 3
Arkansas used a 4-1 run, capped off by a kill from Paisley Pavliska, to go ahead 6-4 in the third set. The Rebs added two points, but the Hogs tacked on four, and Ole Miss called time as the Hogs pushed over double digits, 10-6. It was closer from there and the Rebels came within one at 12-11, which sent the Razorbacks to a timeout of their own. Arkansas took the tempo back and got three of the next four, which put the Hogs up 15-12 at the technical break. The Rebels kept persistent and tied it at 20-20, but Arkansas fired back two, including a block from Remensperger and Alexander, and the Hogs went back ahead. The Razorbacks outlasted the Rebs and their 13th block of the day, courtesy of Duncan and Smith, made it 25-22.
Set 4
After Ole Miss got the first two points of the fourth, Arkansas went on a 4-0 run, punctuated with an ace from Benne. While the Rebs were never far behind, the Hogs limited their chances well and hit double digits with Duncan’s 17th kill of the day. Arkansas maintained the pace and went up 15-10 with Gaby Cornier’s second ace of the day at the media break. The Hogs ran away with it from there, and the Rebels huddled down 18-11. Arkansas didn’t slow down, and a block from Remensperger and Smith and a kill from Romani Thurman made it 21-14. After the Rebs called their last timeout. Arkansas answered with four straight, including two kills from Duncan and an ace from Remensperger. The Hogs put the final set away 25-14.
Up Next
Arkansas closes out the regular season at home this week, starting with No. 13 Vanderbilt on Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. The Hogs then have their Senior Day on Sunday, Nov. 15 at Barnhill, with first serve set for 2 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on SEC Network+ and tickets are available online, by phone, or in person via Razorback Ticket Center.
More Information
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