No. 24 Auburn was swept for the first time this season by No. 14 Arkansas in Fayetteville, bringing the Tigers’ SEC record to 1-2 on the season. The match also marked Auburn’s second loss to a ranked opponent this season in as many tries.
The Tigers scored only 34 points in the entirety of the match, their lowest point total this season. The six points scored in the third set also marked the fewest points in a set for the Tigers this season.
Arkansas’ graduate student Jill Gillen had herself a night, recording her 160th career ace, tying the Razorbacks’ program record. Gillen also tallied eight kills, 10 digs and a .375 hitting percentage.
Senior Taylor Head led the way offensively for Arkansas with a team-high 10 kills and .381 hitting percentage. Head also totaled eight digs and three blocks on the defensive side of the net.
For the match, Arkansas totaled 10 service aces to Auburn’s two. The Razorbacks also pressured the Tigers into 10 serve-receive errors and Auburn spent the match mostly out of system. Serving has been a strength for Arkansas this season, with three Razorbacks ranked in the top 10 of the SEC in service aces per set.
Auburn opened the night with a 25-18 set one loss to the Razorbacks. Prior to this match, slow starts were not uncommon for Auburn, with the Tigers possessing a 3-0 record this season when dropping the first set.
However, the Tigers never found their momentum, recording their first negative hitting percentage of the season with a -0.049 mark and tallying only 14 kills to 18 kill errors.
Sophomore Madison Scheer led the Tigers with four kills on the night while also being one of three Tigers with a positive hitting percentage (0.045).
The Auburn offense totaled only 13 assists in the match. Senior setter Jackie Barrett accounted for 11 of those assists, the lowest total of her career in matches she has started.
Sophomore heavy-hitter Akasha Anderson was held to only one kill by the Arkansas defense. Prior to the match, Anderson was eighth in the SEC in kills per set (3.77) and points per set (4.33).
The Tigers will look to bounce back against a solid Georgia Bulldogs squad at home on Sunday, Oct. 1. The match will begin at noon CST and will be nationally televised on ESPN.
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Emily Porch is a senior from Sylacauga, Alabama. She joined The Plainsman in fall 2021.
Twitter: @emilycporch
