FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – It just wasn't Auburn's night in Arkansas on Wednesday. The No. 24 Tigers found little momentum inside Barnhill arena, falling to the No. 14 Razorbacks, 3-0 (25-18, 25-10, 25-6).
Auburn had its opportunities early. As the two top-25 opponents felt out the first set, Auburn was keeping pace when Madison Scheer put down her second kill of the evening to tie up the score at nine.
However, tough serving from the Razorbacks led to an 8-0 scoring run and gave the home side some breathing room.
Scheer led the way with three kills in the opening frame and Auburn produced three blocks but Arkansas hit .259 and took the early lead.
Auburn had little momentum in the second set. More stout serving from the Razorbacks led to multiple point-scoring runs.
Scheer added a pair of kills, while Zoe Slaughter and Bel Zimmerman each dialed up an ace for the Orange and Blue. Harmon, Akasha Anderson and Kyla Swanson all earned a block as well.
The hole was a little too tough to dig out of, though as the Razorbacks hit north of .400 and that was enough to take the two-set advantage.
It was more of the same in the third set. Serve-receive was the only thing that was going to get the Tigers out of a jam.
Arkansas just didn't give any room to breathe. Anderson, Scheer and Bella Bell all tried to find gaps in the Razorback defense.
In the end, it just wasn't Auburn's night as the Tigers fell for only the third time this season.
MATCH NOTES
- Zoe Slaughter dialed up her fifth ace of the season
- Bel Zimmerman grabbed her team-leading 19th ace of the year
- Akasha Anderson led the team in digs with seven
UP NEXT
Auburn returns to Neville Arena on Sunday, Oct. 1 for a rivalry matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs at Noon CT. Admission is free but for those unable to make it to the plains, the match will be broadcast live on ESPN.