Arkansas Claims First Match of Road Trip Over South Carolina, 3-1

It took one set victory with extra points and a gutsy effort, but the No. 10 Razorbacks began their three-match road trip on a high note as Arkansas defeated South Carolina 3-1 in Columbia on Friday night.

The Hogs have moved to 19-3 overall and are 9-1 SEC play, their best 10-match start to conference competition since 2003.

Graduate outside hitter Jill Gillen had a double-double with a team-high 19 kills and 11 digs, and contributed two service aces. Senior Taylor Head also had a double-double with 16 kills and 11 digs and added four blocks.

Juniors Jada Lawson and Zoi Evans both put up career highs in their respective specialties, with four aces for Lawson and nine blocks for Evans on the night. Arkansas finished in double digits in both categories with 11 service aces and 14 blocks.

Set 1

The two teams steadily traded points to start the set until Arkansas began to break away with a three-point run, capped off by an ace by Jada Lawson for a 9-6 lead. The Gamecocks cut the deficit to one, but the Hogs strung together another three straight and jumped back ahead comfortably. Arkansas hit 20 points first off a kill from Sania Petties, and Gillen followed with her sixth of the set, which sent South Carolina to a timeout down by six. The Gamecocks got two of the next three, but a kill and an ace by Gillen pushed it to set point. South Carolina got one more, but a service error finished it 25-19 for Arkansas.

Set 2

South Carolina found some rhythm early in the second set and while the Hogs took a narrow one point lead, the Gamecocks went on a 7-1 run that put them ahead 12-7 and forced Arkansas to call time. The Hogs came within three after Lawson’s second ace of the night, but the Gamecocks didn’t give the visiting team any breathing room and limited Arkansas’ chances to one point at a time. An ace and kill from Head ended that and cut into the Gamecock lead, but after a timeout, South Carolina got right back on track. Arkansas turned on the jets late though and used a huge six-point run that featured two aces by Hogue and tied it at 23-23. There were five ties from there, but the Gamecocks pulled through and won the battle 30-28, which knotted the match 1-1.

Set 3

Yet again, the two teams kept it close to start but the Hogs put together five straight points with another ace from Lawson and grabbed an 11-9 advantage. The Gamecocks regrouped with a timeout and took a one-point lead shortly thereafter, only for the Razorbacks to answer with a three-point streak of their own and made it 15-13. The Gamecocks wouldn’t go quietly and rattled off four in a row for the 19-17 edge. Arkansas tied it, but the home team held on to the lead and extended it to three for set point. Five straight errors for South Carolina turned the tide though, and gave the set to Arkansas 26-24 for a 2-1 match lead.

Set 4

The fourth set saw six lead changes and nine ties midway through as neither team let the other score more than three points at a time. Arkansas managed to go up by two off a South Carolina attack error and a kill by Head, but the Gamecocks refused to let up and the score was tied two more times from there as both teams reached 20 points. Two South Carolina errors gave Arkansas the two-point edge back and an ace by Hannah Hogue sent the Gamecocks to a timeout. Another South Carolina attack error followed and while the Gamecocks got one back, a kill by Maggie Cartwright sealed the set 25-21 and finished the match 3-1 for the Hogs.

Up Next

A ranked road tilt awaits the Razorbacks as they travel to Gainesville to take on No. 19 Florida on Sunday at noon. The match will be streamed live on SEC Network+.