Razorbacks Sweep Red Wolves in First Trip to Jonesboro
The Razorbacks headed east for their first-ever match against the Arkansas State Red Wolves on Friday and took care of business in straight sets (26-24, 25-21, 25-17).
Arkansas’ victory was in large part due to a huge performance from sophomore outside hitter Parker Duncan, who tallied 20 kills with just four errors on the night for a career high .457 hitting percentage. Fellow outside hitter Lakin Laurendine also had a solid night with 14 kills, three aces, and 1.5 blocks.
Junior setter Kiki Remensperger had a double-double with 32 assists and 13 digs and added two blocks. Freshman libero Madi Benne also had a double-double, her first-ever, with 10 assists and 14 digs, the former a career high. She tallied three aces in the opening set alone, matching her personal best.
Senior middle blocker Layla Smith contributed well on both sides of the ball with seven kills, a season high .429 hitting percentage and a match high five blocks.
The victory played out in front of 4,128 fans in Jonesboro, a new record high attendance for Arkansas State and just behind Arkansas’ highest ever, 4,299 set on Aug. 30, 2023 against No. 1 Wisconsin.
The Hogs move to 8-2 on the season with a 3-0 away record.
Set 1
The Red Wolves came out hot and opened the match with a 4-0 run, but once Arkansas got to the line, the Hogs answered with six unanswered points – which included three aces from Benne – that put them ahead 6-4. It stayed close, though, and there were several ties after that. The home team held a one-point lead at the technical break, and Arkansas State continued to push its way ahead to a 20-17 advantage. Arkansas called time, and a 5-2 run by the Razorbacks put them right back in it at 22-22. The Red Wolves wouldn’t go down easily and tied it at 24-all, but kills from Smith and Duncan closed it out 26-24 for the Hogs for an early advantage in the match.
Set 2
The second set was largely back-and-forth to start again, but the Hogs pieced together a nice 4-0 run that had two kills from Duncan to make it 8-6 Razorbacks. Arkansas kept its foot on the gas as the lead was extended to three at 15-12, courtesy of a Laurendine ace. The Hogs continued to roll, and Duncan’s 15th of the night made it 20-15 Arkansas. The Red Wolves got back within striking distance at 19-18, but the Hogs maintained momentum and used a kill and ace from Laurendine to secure a 25-21 set victory and 2-0 lead.
Set 3
Arkansas started the third set strong with a string of five unanswered points capped off by yet another kill from Duncan that made it 6-2 Razorbacks. The Red Wolves kept clawing but couldn’t find a long-term solution for the Razorbacks, Duncan in particular. She had four straight kills that pushed the lead 13-8 and put her evening total over 20. A-State did punch back with four points to come within one, but the Hogs locked right back in and soon had 20 points first off a Lily Dudley ace. The Red Wolves added two more, but a 4-0 run, capped by another ace from Laurendine, sealed the set 25-17 and the match 3-0.
Up Next
The Hogs close out the Arkansas State Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 19 against Illinois at 2 p.m. in Jonesboro. The match will not be streamed, but live stats will be accessible via Sidearm.
More Information
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