After a standout first season in action at Arkansas, redshirt sophomore outside hitter Aniya Madkin decided to take her talents to Gainesville. As the Clinton, Mississippi, native eyes her return to Fayetteville, she is treating the match no differently.
“Every game is a battle,” Madkin said. “The next one is obviously the most important because it’s the next one, but other than that just going to play my game and so are the rest of us.”
Madkin failed to touch the court in her freshman campaign at Arkansas. However, as a redshirt freshman, she emerged as a leader and a powerhouse on the court. She started in 22 matches, playing in all but three, and led the team in kills in 15 matches. She logged a career-high 27 kills against Georgia and set a program record by swinging 86 times in the match.
Madkin led the Razorbacks in kills and kills per set for the entire season, charting 331 kills. Most notably, she was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team and earned SEC Freshman of the Week in back-to-back weeks in October 2024.
At UF, Madkin has led the team in kills three times. She logged 10 kills and three blocks against South Florida, tallied a season-high 18 against Wisconsin and added 13 kills against Oklahoma in its most recent match. She also tied her career-high .417 hitting percentage against Ohio State on Sept. 7.
She has been crucial to Florida’s success and has been a huge game changer for the Gators, registering double-digit kills in three other matches where she didn’t lead. She is one of the primary contributors to the immense depth UF boasts at the outside position.
Now, she returns to Fayetteville to take on her former team. Arkansas has struggled immensely this season and currently trails the SEC. The Razorbacks have just one SEC win and have won a mere four non-conference games.
Arkansas is led offensively by freshman outside hitter Parker Duncan, who has amassed 264 kills this season and averages 3.47 per set. On the defensive end, the Razorbacks depend on sophomore setter Kiki Remensperger who averages 2.63 digs per set, a large part of the team’s issues this season.
As Arkansas looks to snap its eight-match losing streak, Florida aims to improve its losing 3-5 record on the road and hold off Madkin’s former team.
“Really just focusing on energy in energy out,” Madkin said. “Pouring into the fans, pouring into each other, pouring into ourselves and really just trusting each other and the work we’ve put in.”
The Gators take on the Razorbacks 1 p.m. Sunday at Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Arkansas as they begin their three-match road swing.
Contact Ava DiCecca at adicecca@alligator.org. Follow her on X @avadicecca24.
Ava is a sophomore sports journalism student and the volleyball beat reporter for fall 2025. She enjoys playing basketball and volleyball in her free time and going on beach trips with friends. She has been a Boston sports fan all her life (Brad Marchand we miss you).
