In the first-ever SEC meeting between the two teams, the Razorbacks snapped a four-match, 14-year-old losing streak with the Oklahoma Sooners as they came away victorious in four sets on Sunday afternoon.
Redshirt freshman Aniya Madkin had another stellar offensive outing for the Hogs with a team-high 25 kills and a .385 hitting percentage. It’s the second match this season in which she’s registered 20+ kills and is the fifth match in a row where she’s led Arkansas in kills.
Sophomore Romani Thurman had a balanced day for Arkansas with 12 kills, six digs, and two blocks, including one solo. Senior setter Hannah Hogue provided 42 assists and seven digs, and senior libero Courtney Jackson anchored the defense with 19 digs in the match.
Arkansas is now 13-2 on the season and 3-0 in the SEC.
Set 1
The first set stayed tight throughout with 12 tie scores and six lead changes, but it didn’t look close at first. Oklahoma used a five-point run and went up 9-5 early, and held that lead while Arkansas settled in. The Hogs rattled off four straight, capped with a kill from Madkin, and switched the advantage in their favor at 13-11. Oklahoma called time, but the Sooners couldn’t catch up while the Razorbacks hit 20 points. The home team then found a groove and tied it at 20-all, and an Arkansas timeout didn’t stop the bleeding. Oklahoma took it to set pint, but a three-point run with a Jackson ace in the middle pushed it to 25-24 in favor of Arkansas. The score was tied twice more, but a Razorback kill and final Oklahoma attack error closed the door on the opening set 28-26 for the Razorbacks.
Set 2
Set two was back-and-forth initially, but Oklahoma scored five straight points for a 13-8 edge that prompted an Arkansas timeout. The Sooners just kept rolling from there and got six of the next eight, which caused the Hogs to huddle again. Arkansas just couldn’t do anything to overcome the deficit and Oklahoma handily claimed the second 25-17 and evened the match.
Set 3
Looking to get back out in front in the third, the Hogs strung together two three-point runs and another pair thanks to Oklahoma errors that put them up 10-4. The Sooners called time, but the Razorbacks staved them off easily and went up 15-5 off an Oklahoma error. Arkansas maintained the large margin, but the Sooners bit back with five straight that cut their deficit to two and sent the Hogs to regroup with a timeout. Oklahoma stayed close and came within three at 24-21, but the Sooners ran out of time as another kill from Madkin sealed the set 25-21 and put Arkansas back in the lead.
Set 4
The Sooners broke through with a three-point run early on that gave them a 12-8 lead in the fourth set, but Arkansas stayed steady and continued to chip away as the Hogs tied it at 16-, 17-, and 18-all. They took the lead at 19-18 off an Oklahoma error, but the home team tied it back up right after. Arkansas found the juice it needed, though, and tallied five straight to take it to set and match point. The Sooners spoiled it twice, but one last kill from Madkin finished the set 25-21 and the match 3-1.
Up Next
Arkansas has a week off before they return to Barnhill Arena on Sunday, Oct. 13 to host Alabama at 3 p.m. It is the team’s annual Pink Match and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
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).
