Hogs Swept by Wildcats in Final Road Match
While they played the home team tight in the first set, Arkansas volleyball couldn’t find a way to overcome the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats as the Hogs were swept 3-0 in their final road match of the season.
A match with major postseason implications, Arkansas falls to 6-9 in the SEC and 16-11 overall with just one contest remaining.
Aniya Madkin returned to the floor for the Razorbacks after missing Friday’s match at Tennessee and had a team-high nine kills on the day. Romani Thurman added eight kills on 17 swings for a .353 hitting percentage.
Senior setter Hannah Hogue recorded 24 assists in the match, which puts her at 3,013 in her career. She is the sixth-ever Razorback to record 3,000+ assists, and now has 966 on the season.
Set 1
The first set was close all the way through with neither team allowing the other to go on any lasting runs. Arkansas went up 11-8 on a 3-0 service run by Hannah Hogue that featured an ace, but the Wildcats answered back with a 6-0 streak of their own and took the lead at 14-11. Kentucky controlled the pace from there, but Arkansas was never far behind, and the Hogs tied it at 18-all off a kill from Madkin. The score was tied three more times from there, but Kentucky hit set point off an Arkansas attack error. The Hogs scored two more to knot it at 24-all, but back-to-back Kentucky points sealed the set 26-24 for them.
Set 2
The second set was also tight with four early ties, until Arkansas began to pull away with a four-point run that pushed the lead to them at 11-9.The Wildcats then got four straight and regained the advantage, which they held comfortably for a while. The Razorbacks threatened with a 4-0 run capped with an ace from Olivia Ruy that tied it 18-18, but Kentucky settled in and took care of business in the red zone. The Wildcats got seven of the next nine points and closed the middle frame 25-20 for a 2-0 lead in the match.
Set 3
The third set was mostly even until the midway point, when Kentucky took a 12-8 lead. Arkansas got two points back, but the Wildcats rattled off a stifling nine-point run that pushed their lead to 21-10 and sent the Hogs to a huddle. There was nothing Arkansas could do to seriously chip away that the Kentucky lead, and while a Wildcat service error got them into the teens, a Razorback service error handed the set to Kentucky 25-13 and secured the sweep.
Up Next
Arkansas returns home for its final regular season match against Oklahoma on Wednesday, Nov. 27. It is Fansgiving at Barnhill and the team will honor its six seniors – Jada Lawson, Sania Petties, Rosana Hicks, Courtney Jackson, Hannah Hogue and Zoi Evans post-match. First serve is set for 6 p.m. and action will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
More Information
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