Alabama and Arkansas earned midweek SEC victories at home in straight sets Wednesday night. The Crimson Tide handed the Bulldogs their 5th loss in a row, while the Razorbacks earned the upset against the Gamecocks, who received votes this week.
Updated Standings:
| CONF | OVERALL | HOME | ROAD | NEUTRAL | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 8-0 | 17-3 | 10-1 | 5-1 | 2-1 | – |
| Kentucky | 6-0 | 12-4 | 8-0 | 4-2 | 0-2 | – |
| Missouri | 6-2 | 16-4 | 6-0 | 4-3 | 6-1 | – |
| Tennessee | 5-2 | 14-5 | 10-1 | 2-4 | 2-0 | – |
| Texas A&M | 5-2 | 12-7 | 5-1 | 2-6 | 5-0 | – |
| South Carolina | 5-3 | 14-4 | 7-1 | 3-3 | 4-0 | – |
| Alabama | 3-5 | 16-6 | 9-3 | 3-3 | 4-0 | – |
| Georgia | 3-5 | 12-7 | 4-2 | 4-4 | 4-1 | – |
| Arkansas | 3-5 | 9-9 | 6-2 | 1-6 | 2-1 | – |
| LSU | 2-5 | 7-11 | 3-4 | 2-5 | 2-2 | – |
| Ole Miss | 1-6 | 11-10 | 5-4 | 1-5 | 5-1 | – |
| Auburn | 1-7 | 8-10 | 2-4 | 4-4 | 2-2 | – |
| Mississippi State | 1-7 | 5-16 | 2-5 | 1-7 | 2-4 | – |
Alabama def. Mississippi State 3-0 (25-17, 28-26, 25-15)
- Alabama moves to 16-6 overall, 3-5 SEC; Mississippi State falls to 5-16 overall, 1-7 SEC
- Box Score
- Alabama Recap / Mississippi State Recap
- Attendance: 583
Alabama recorded its 3rd win in its last 4 SEC matches with a sweep of Mississippi State at home Wednesday night. The Crimson Tide outperformed the Bulldogs in attack percentage (.256 to .144), blocks (5 to 4) and service aces (3 to 1) to hand MSU its 5th-straight loss.
RECAP | Alabama Posts Second-Straight Home Sweep, Defeating Mississippi State Wednesday
📰: https://t.co/d9LZIB7Rbq
📊: https://t.co/uXuOUyEHIh
📸: https://t.co/flGoICOhWd#RollTide pic.twitter.com/NfaKVRNa8w— Alabama Volleyball (@AlabamaVBall) October 18, 2018
After playing through 4 ties, the Crimson Tide used a 12-2 rally to pull ahead and establish a 21-13. Alabama held off Mississippi State to register the 25-17 win.
It was a back-and-forth battle for the second set, which contained a total of 17 ties. Alabama outlasted Mississippi State in the extended set 28-26 with a Mahalia Swink kill and Mylana Byrd block.
The Bulldogs started strong in the third set, jumping out to a 6-3 lead. The Crimson Tide used a 10-1 push to pull ahead 16-9. Spurred on by 6-1 run, Alabama closed out the set 25-15 to earn the sweep.
Doris Carter (13 kills, 14 digs) and Meghan Neelon (32 assists, 10 digs) registered double-doubles for Alabama. Swink also contributed 13 kills and hit .407, while Kaylee Thomas posted 17 digs.
Deja Robinson led the Bulldogs with 11 kills and a .524 attack percentage. Morgan Kath notched 14 assists, while Kendall Murr recorded 15 digs.
Arkansas def. RV South Carolina 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-19)
- Arkansas moves to 9-9 overall, 3-5 SEC; South Carolina falls to 14-4 overall, 5-3 SEC
- Box Score
- Arkansas Recap / South Carolina Recap
- Attendance: 546
Arkansas secured an upset victory over South Carolina, which received votes in this week’s VolleyMob Power Rankings, in straight sets at home Wednesday night. The Razorbacks earned the win with a .259 attack percentage, 8 blocks and 7 service aces, while holding the Gamecocks to a season-low .144 attack percentage, 4 blocks and 3 service aces.
RECAP | Arkansas Sweeps South Carolina….
Up next: Sunday vs Alabama
📝 https://t.co/Aersvg9sUw#WPS pic.twitter.com/NR8Ci0lhc8
— Razorback Volleyball (@RazorbackVB) October 18, 2018
After a tight start in the first set, Arkansas used a 7-0 run to pull ahead 14-7. The Razorbacks led by as much as 9 from there en route to a 25-19 win.
Arkansas maintained the momentum in the second set, going up 8-3 early. The Gamecocks rallied back within 1, but that would be as close as they would get as the Razorbacks earned the 25-20 result.
After falling behind to Arkansas early in the third set, the Gamecocks fought back and gained a 2-point advantage 13-11. However, the Razorbacks did not back down, closing out the finale set 25-19 with a 14-6 match-closing stretch.
Hailey Dirrigl led the way for Arkansas offensively with 10 kills, followed by Kelly O’Brian who tallied 9 kills and a .600 attack percentage. Gracie Ryan distributed 19 assists, while Okiana Valle logged 26 digs.
For South Carolina, Mikayla Shields posted 10 kills and 9 digs. Courtney Kohler registered a double-double with 26 assists and 10 digs, while Aubrey Ezell led the back line with 16 digs and served up 2 aces, becoming the first Gamecock to record 50 aces in a single season since 2002.
Up Next:
| Date | Matchup | Location | Time |
| Friday, October 19 | Kentucky at LSU | Baton Rouge, La. | 7 p.m. |
| Auburn at Missouri | Columbia, Mo. | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Tennessee at Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | 7:30 p.m. | |
| Florida at Ole Miss | Oxford, Miss. | 8:30 p.m. |
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