Razorbacks Upset National Champion Aggies 3-1 for First SEC Win of the Season

The Volley Hogs got their first ranked win since 2023 and took down the reigning national champion No. 12 Texas A&M Aggies 3-1 at Barnhill Arena on Sunday (25-20, 25-17, 20-25, 25-22).

Parker Duncan led the charge offensively for the Hogs with 17 kills, which officially put her over 500 in her collegiate career. Laci Bohannan also had double-digit kills with 11 and only had two errors for a .360 hitting percentage. She also added six blocks, a new career high. Freshman setter Maggie McCarroll made her second career start and had 34 assists and 12 digs for her second straight double-double.

The Razorbacks outblocked the Aggies 14-9, and Aleki Alexander led the team with eight – one solo and seven assists. Bohannan was just behind with her six and Layla Smith had four. In the back row, Gaby Cornier tallied a team-high 14 digs.

It was Arkansas’ first ranked win since the Hogs took down No. 8 Kentucky down in the Sweet 16 of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. The Razorbacks move to 9-7 overall and 1-4 in SEC play.

There were 3,261 fans at Barnhill for the action, the sixth-highest attendance in program history. Arkansas saw a total of 5,988 over its two weekend home matches, the highest combined weekend total for the Razorbacks since the 2023 season.

Set 1

After the Aggies got the first point of the match, the Razorbacks began to settle in nicely and took a 7-4 lead off a kill from Thurman and an ace from Gaby Cornier. A&M was never far behind, but the Hogs did a nice job limiting their chances and kept extending the lead. Arkansas went ahead by five at the technical timeout off a tip from Duncan, and it became a six-point advantage at 21-15 thanks to a kill from Layla Smith. The Aggies found some more energy toward the end and did push over 20 points, but an A&M attack error helped get Arkansas the 25-20 first set vivctory.

Set 2

The start of the second was back-and-forth with neither team able to create a lasting run early. Arkansas found a way to stay ahead, though, and reached 10 first off a big back row attack from Duncan. Another kill from her and an ace from McCarroll put the Hogs up by five again at the technical break, 15-10. The Aggies came out of it firing and got three unanswered points, which prompted a Razorback timeout. A&M then cut the deficit to one, but the Hogs responded fiercely and hit 20 first off a block from Thurman and Alexander to go back up by five. Arkansas continued to cruise and back-to-back kills from Bohannan and Duncan secured the second set 25-17 for the home team.

Set 3

Yet again, both sides exchanged blows in the beginning of the set, but a 4-0 run that featured a kill and solo block from Duncan pushed it to 12-9 in favor of the Razorbacks and the Aggies wanted time. A&M kept pushing, but the Hogs were doing just enough to stave off opportunities and a kill from Smith made it 15-12 at the technical break. The two teams were toe-to-toe from there, and the Aggies used a 5-1 run to take a 21-19 lead, which sent the Hogs to a huddle. A&M’s momentum outlasted Arkansas’ and the Aggies fought to a 25-20 set victory and put the match at 2-1 Hogs.

Set 4

The Aggies dictated the tempo to start, but Arkansas brought in Lakin Laurendine as a serving sub and quickly strung together a nice run that tied it at 9-9 and sent the Aggies to a timeout. A&M went back ahead briefly, but a 3-0 run that had an ace from McCarroll made it 15-14 Arkansas at the technical timeout. The Aggies responded with a point out of the break, but the Razorbacks got three unanswered capped off with a solo block by Bohannan for an 18-15 advantage that sent the Aggies to huddle. There wasn’t much they could do as the Razorbacks kept on pushing and an A&M attack error put the home team two points away. The Aggies then went on a 3-0 run to make it 23-21, but after a timeout, two more Duncan kills did enough to win the set 25-22 and the match 3-1 for Arkansas.

Up Next

The Razorbacks have two more ranked matchups at home next weekend as No. 10 Tennessee and No. 4 Kentucky head to Fayetteville. The Hogs take on the Vols on Friday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. and the Wildcats on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on SEC Network+ with tickets available online, by phone, or in person 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).