Razorbacks Run Out of Time, Lose in Five to Gamecocks

Both the Razorbacks and Gamecocks were looking for their first SEC win of the season on Sunday and while the match did go the distance, Arkansas ultimately fell to South Carolina in five sets (25-11, 21-25, 25-19, 21-25, 11-15).

Sophomore outside hitter Parker Duncan had a team-high 20 kills on the night and hit .318 with two aces, also the most among Razorbacks. It was her ninth match with double-digit kills, the third in a row.

Senior opposite Romani Thurman was very effective on both sides of the ball, with 14 kills and a team-high seven blocks. The Razorbacks’ two middle blockers, Aleki Alexander and Layla Smith, had similar impact. Alexander notched a career high nine kills, hit .316 and had four blocks, while Smith had eight kills, hit .294 and tallied six blocks.

Junior setter Kiki Remensperger put up a season high 51 assists and was just one dig shy of a 20-20 at 19, also a season high for her.

Despite the loss, Arkansas tallied more kills and aces on the day than South Carolina and also hit .214 to the Gamecocks’ .184. The No. 2 and No. 3 blocking teams in the SEC, the Gamecocks did have the edge on that in the match, with 15 to the Hogs’ 11.

Arkansas is now 8-6 on the season and 0-3 in SEC play.

Set 1

The Gamecocks got the first two points of the match, but the Hogs used a 4-0 run highlighted with an ace from Madi Benne for an early lead. Arkansas doubled up on South Carolina at 8-4 with a block from Alexander and Remensperger, and South Carolina called time. The Hogs continued to pour on points while the Gamecocks just couldn’t get much going, and Arkansas had a commanding 15-6 lead at the technical break. Arkansas led by as many as 14 after that, and while the Gamecocks did get over double digits, the Hogs kept on pushing and cruised to a 25-11 set victory, sealed by a South Carolina service error.

Set 2

The second set started tight as the home team began to find a bit more rhythm. After several ties, the Gamecocks hit double digits first and surpassed their points from the opening set quickly. South Carolina held a three-point cushion at 12-9 when Arkansas called time. The Gamecocks steadily maintained the lead from there, but a 3-0 run with kills from Duncan, Smith and Thurman brought Arkansas within one at 17-16 and forced a South Carolina timeout. It worked for the Gamecocks as they quickly locked back in and found the energy to carry out a 25-21 victory and tied the match 1-1.

Set 3

The third set was a steady back-and-forth until the Hogs broke through at 10-9 with another kill from Alexander. The Razorbacks solidly held off the Gamecocks and a 3-0 spurt with two kills from Duncan and one from Bohannan made it 15-11 Arkansas at the technical break. South Carolina added just one point while Arkansas added three, and the home team called time down 18-12. There wasn’t much the Gamecocks could do to slow down the Hogs, and another timeout quickly ensued after back-to-back Thurman kills put Arkansas over 20 points.

Set 4

South Carolina jumped out to an early advantage in the fourth set, but Arkansas chipped away and used a 5-2 run to flip the lead in its favor at 8-7. The Gamecocks responded with a 3-0 run of their own that made it 11-8, but the Hogs just as quickly tied it at 11-all. Neither team gave the other much room to breathe until a couple of Arkansas points put the Razorbacks up 18-16, at which point South Carolina huddled. The Gamecocks quickly got two back to tie it, and the Hogs called time. From there, South Carolina dictated the pace of the match and ended it on a 7-3 run for a 25-21 victory and forced a fifth set.

Set 5

The Razorbacks got the first point of the set, an ace from Duncan, but after that, it was almost all Gamecocks. USC led by as many as six as the Gamecocks quickly hit double digits. Arkansas found a groove and strung together a 3-0 lead with a Remensperger ace and Smith/Thurman block, which made it 11-8 Gamecocks and sent them to a timeout. After South Carolina got a point out of it, the Razorbacks took their own timeout. Arkansas kept clawing but ultimately ran out of time as the Gamecocks won the deciding set 15-11 and took the match 3-2.

Up Next

Arkansas begins a four-match home stand with four top 15 opponents next week. The first two matches will come against the teams from the Lone Star State: No. 8 Texas on Friday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. and No. 14 and defending national champion Texas A&M on Sunday, Oct. 11 at 12 p.m. Friday’s match will be streamed on SEC Network+ and Sunday’s will be live on SEC Network. Tickets are available online, in person or by phone 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).