Vanderbilt Volleyball (5-8) returned to action at home Sunday afternoon against Arkansas (5-10). After recently losing to Oklahoma 3-1, Vanderbilt rebounded against the Razorbacks, pulling off a 3-0 victory.
Set 1
Vanderbilt started hot, securing the first two points of the match after an Arkansas serving error and a hard kill by Kamryn Chaney. The Razorbacks returned with a spiked kill by Romani Thurman to get themselves on the board. The Commodores would snatch six of the next seven points, a dominating display both offensively and defensively. Chaney got her first ace of the match, alongside multiple kills from Jackie Moore, Mia Soerensen and Isabella Bareford.
From there, Arkansas managed to get points solely off two Vanderbilt serving errors. The Commodores logged another ace, this time by Maya Witherspoon, and proceeded to dominate at the point of the attack above the net. While the errors did continue to occur, Vanderbilt responded well. After back-to-back serving errors, Vanderbilt returned a Lakin Laurendine serve perfectly, Bareford setting up Chaney for a well-placed kill in the back corner of the Arkansas defense.
By the first media timeout, Vanderbilt led 15-9, with six of Arkansas’s points coming from Commodore errors. It was a balanced effort on Vanderbilt’s part, five different players logging a kill by that point.
Arkansas came out of the timeout with much more energy, taking the first two points. Vanderbilt responded immediately, a service error by Parker Duncan and an emphatic served ace by Witherspoon putting the Razorbacks back in a corner. The Commodores kept their foot on the gas, forcing Arkansas to play on the defensive and logging points when the Razorbacks’ effort ran low. By winning four of the next six points, Vanderbilt opened up its lead to 21-13. Although Arkansas fought back, it wasn’t enough, as the Commodores ran away with the first set by a score of 25-17.
Set 2
The second set started much more even, both sides splitting the first six points. Arkansas displayed sounder defense compared to the first set, making Vanderbilt work for each kill. More often than not, Vanderbilt continued to get in its own way, a service error and some haphazard defensive play allowing Arkansas to hang around.
The teams continued to trade points until the Razorbacks garnered some momentum. A serving error by Hailee Mack kicked off an Arkansas run, in which Duncan earned her team’s second ace, and Kylie Weeks helped set up a brilliant kill for Laurendine. Vanderbilt roared back, Chaney and Reese Animashaun adding in a kill apiece. Both sides committed blocking errors on the next two points, maintaining a close set with Vanderbilt leading 11-10.
Laurendine was able to get Arkansas its next two points, interjected by kills from Bareford and Moore. An ace from Bareford put Vanderbilt ahead by two until Laurendine again rose up for her seventh kill of the match. The Commodores held strong, digging out Laurendine’s subsequent serve and setting up Moore for another strong spike for a kill. Vanderbilt extended its lead to 18-13 after a kill from Sorensen, an ace from Chaney and a joint block effort by Sorensen and Moore that caused a Duncan attack error.
Two more kills, again from Sorensen and Animashaun, were answered by two from Duncan and Romani Thurman. A joint block from Sorensen and Dunlap returned the margin to five, but Arkansas squeezed out two more points off Commodore errors. Vanderbilt righted the ship after another Parker service error, winning the last three points to take the second set 25-18.
Set 3
Trailing by two sets, the Razorbacks came out with heightened intensity. Arkansas took four out of the first five points, highlighted by an extensive back-and-forth that ended with a great joint block by Thurman and Journey Peppers. With a serve error by Zoi Evans returning starting possession to Vanderbilt, the defense shone, two straight joint blocks by Chaney and Moore putting the Commodores ahead. Peppers and Sorensen would then trade kills, an ace from Chaney making the score 7-5.
Arkansas went on a quick run to knot up the score at 8, featuring two Commodore errors and a kill by Duncan. Bareford connected with Animashaun to break up the run and return the lead to Vanderbilt. The Commodores then extended that lead through an ace by Mack that Laurendine struggled to receive. Three straight kills from Duncan and Thurman alongside an Animashaun error thrust Arkansas back into the lead, Vanderbilt taking a timeout trailing 12-10.
Arkansas took the next two points after the timeout, Vanderbilt finally getting back on track with Animashaun and Chaney kills. An attacking error from Thurman and Vanderbilt’s tenth ace, this time by Animashaun, tied the set at 14-14. An error and a kill by Bareford kept the set level at 15, up until an error by Evans and back-to-back Chaney kills put Vanderbilt back ahead.
Laurendine eventually interrupted the four-point swing with a spike of her own. Even then, the momentum had entirely gone in Vanderbilt’s favor. The Commodores won four of the next five, two kills by Moore and a kill and ace by Chaney, forcing Arkansas to take a timeout down 22-17. With that, Vanderbilt cruised to victory, taking the final set with a joint block by Sorensen and Dunlap.
Up next, Vanderbilt will travel to Auburn, Alabama to take on the Auburn Tigers. First serve will be at 6 p.m. CDT at Neville Arena.
