FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – While two came down to the wire Sunday, the No. 21 Razorbacks managed to come away from their first weekend at home without dropping a single set and delivered their fourth sweep in as many matches, this time over Little Rock.

Arkansas is now 7-0 on the season, its first 7-0 start since 2002 and for the first time under head coach Jason Watson. The Hogs’ four consecutive home sweeps was last achieved in 2011, and the first time it has ever happened in the same weekend.

Sophomore outside hitter Romani Thurman led the way with 15 kills, hit .312 on the day and had three blocks. Freshman Aniya Madkin was not far behind with 12 kills and hit .273 with two blocks. Senior setter Hannah Hogue paced the offense with 37 assists and 10 digs for a double-double, her fourth of the season.

Senior middle blocker continued an outstanding weekend with seven blocks in the match, bringing her four-match total to 23. She also added four kills on eight swings for a .500 hitting percentage and hit .516 overall in the tournament.

Middle blockers Zoi Evans and Sania Petties tallied five kills each, and Evans had a team-high eight blocks, including two solo.

Set 1

Arkansas began the match on a 6-2 run spurred by back-to-back kills from Madkin. Little Rock briefly stopped the bleeding but four straight points by the Hogs, capped with an ace from Thurman, pushed them into double digits. The Trojans struggled to generate enough momentum to seriously cut into the Arkansas lead until five unanswered points put them within two at 16-14. The Razorbacks hung in and used a couple of offensive bursts to push it to 23-19, which prompted a Little Rock timeout. Arkansas got the first point out of the break, but the Trojans got four straight. The Hogs huddled and it worked, as a final kill from Thurman ended the set 25-23 for Arkansas.

Set 2

The Hogs got the first three points of the middle set and kept the Trojans solidly at bay to the midway point, when a three-point run made it 13-7 for Arkansas. Little Rock couldn’t get any lasting streaks going and the Razorbacks kept rolling and a kill from Jada Lawson took it to 20 points for Arkansas at 20-11. The Trojans found a bit of a groove and came within six, but an ace and a kill from Lawson put the Hogs two away and ahead 23-15. The Trojans tacked on two more but a kill from Sania Petties and a Little Rock attack error put the set away 25-18.

Set 3

Little Rock began to threaten in the third set as the Trojans used a three-point run early and went up 6-4. The two teams fought closely from there with two ties and two lead changes. The Razorbacks then rattled off four straight, including an ace from Hogue, and took a 12-9 lead. Following a Little Rock timeout, play was pretty even and the score was knotted five more times shortly after before the Trojans flipped the lead at 20-19. Arkansas huddled and the two teams traded the lead two times, but back-to-back kills by Thurman made it 23-22 Arkansas. Little Rock called time once more and while the Trojans spoiled it once, an attack error for Little Rock solidified the 25-23 set victory and match sweep for the Hogs.

Up Next

Arkansas continues its non-conference slate with two matches in Tulsa, Okla. next weekend at the Tulsa Volleyball Invitational. The Hogs open play against the Golden Hurricane on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m., which will be streamed on ESPN+. On Friday, Arkansas takes on Stephen F. Austin at 4 p.m.