Arkansas Bounces Back with Nail-Biter Win Over FIU

The No. 25 Razorbacks got out to a 2-0 lead but found themselves having to grit out a fifth set victory with the FIU Panthers on Friday night.

Arkansas won the first two sets 25-20 and 25-14, respectively, before FIU took the third and fourth 25-21 and 25-19. The Hogs settled in for the deciding frame and righted the ship 15-11 for the match victory.

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Aniya Madkin set a new career high with 18 kills, the most on the night for the Hogs. Sophomore Romani Thurman also registered double digit kills with 11 and had five blocks.

Senior setter Hannah Hogue had a 20-20 match with 40 assists and 23 digs, her third 20-20 of the season and the 35th in program history. She also notched four of Arkansas’ season-high 11 service aces in the match.

Set 1

The match’s opening set was mostly back-and-forth until Arkansas broke through with an 8-0 run that featured two aces from Hogue for a 14-7 lead. The Panthers were down, but certainly not out, as they scored eight of the next 10 points and took the lead at 16-15. The Hogs got themselves out of the jam with a kill from Sania Petties and an ace from Avery Calame, which made it 21-18 and prompted an FIU timeout. Calame responded with another ace, but FIU got just a single point back. An Arkansas service error spoiled set point, but a kill from Madkin immediately after made it 25-20 for the set one win.

Set 2

The Hogs quickly went up 7-2 in the second set, courtesy of five straight points including an ace from Kylie Weeks. Again, FIU pushed back and cut the deficit to two, but Arkansas rattled off a five-point run capped with an ace from Olivia Ruy for a 13-6 advantage. FIU called time, but the Hogs continued to roll and limited the Panthers to no more than two points at a time. Kills from Ruy and Petties and an FIU attack error pushed it to set point, which was delayed once by a service error, but a block from Hogue and Petties sealed the 25-14 set two victory.

Set 3

The momentum was in FIU’s favor early in the third, but the Hogs found a rhythm and scored five unanswered points for a 17-13 edge. It didn’t last long though, as the Panthers hit back with a 7-1 run and flipped the lead to their side, 20-18. Arkansas couldn’t find a way to overcome the disadvantage and a Hog attack error put the set in the Panthers’’ hands, 25-21.

Set 4

The Razorbacks began to run out of gas in the fourth while the Panthers showed no signs of slowing down. The score was tied 4-4, but FIU put together a stifling 6-1 scoring run that made it 10-5 and sent Arkansas to a huddle. The Panthers continued to press and limited the Razorbacks to 10 points while they grew their lead to seven at 18-11. Arkansas had no answer for FIU and while the home team began to slow down toward the end, back-to-back points made it 25-19 and forced a fifth set.

Set 5

The final set was tied three times to start, but Arkansas began to pull away with a kill from Madkin and a block from Ruy and Zoi Evans for a 6-4 lead. The Panthers got one back, but the Hogs extended it to 8-5 as the teams switched sides. The Razorbacks stayed steady from there and back-to-back kills from Madkin put Arkansas two away at 13-8. FIU closed the gap to three shortly after, but Thurman put a bow on the night with the final Hog kill at 15-11 and secured the win.

Up Next

Arkansas closes the Miami 305 Challenge with a match against Texas Tech on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. The match will not be streamed, but live stats will be provided via StatBroadcast.

More Information

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