Late-Set Runs Costly in Loss to Auburn

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Senior co-captains Danielle Harbin and Breana Jones registered 16 and 11 kills, respectively, while freshman setter Rachel Rippee tallied her fifth double-double of the season in a four-set loss to Auburn Sunday afternoon at Barnhill Arena. The Razorbacks return to their home floor Wednesday to face Mississippi State on the SEC Network.

FINAL
Auburn 3, Arkansas 1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 25-19) | Box Score
Attendance: 856 | Time: 1:53
Barnhill Arena (Fayetteville, Ark.)

#RazorStats
• Leaders vs. Auburn
o Kills: Danielle Harbin – 16 (ninth match with 15+ kills)
o Digs: Okiana Valle – 16
o Blocks: Danielle Harbin, Breana Jones – 5.0
• Double-Doubles
o Rachel Rippee – 44 assists, 13 digs

Sunday’s match marked Jones’ sixth SEC outing with seven or more kills, all of which she paired with a .333 or higher hitting percentage. The Peachtree City, Georgia, native is now hitting .368 in league play. In addition to her offensive production, Jones moved into 25th place on the program’s career blocks list with the help of five total blocks against Auburn.

Harbin now has nine matches on the season with 15 or more kills including three of the last four. In a breakout season for the versatile senior, she sits just 15 kills shy of reaching 600 for her career. Rippee finished the match with 49 assists and tied her career high with 13 digs. Sophomore libero Okiana Valle led the team with 16 digs and Adrien Wohlschlaeger added 11 digs.

After dropping the first set, Arkansas (3-18, 1-8 SEC) took a 12-9 lead in the second after a kill by Ana Sofia Jusino. Using a quick run—helped along by a pair of Auburn attack errors—the Razorbacks took a 17-13 lead to force a timeout by their opponent. Rippee ended an extended rally with a second-touch kill to give Arkansas a 24-21 advantage. On the team’s third set point, Harbin and Jones teamed up for a block to secure the game and tie the match at 1-1.

The third and fourth sets, however, followed a similar pattern for Auburn (13-10, 7-3 SEC) with the visitors utilizing a pair of late-game runs to post the victory. The score was tied 17-all in the third set before the Tigers put together a 7-1 run to create some cushion on the scoreboard. The Razorbacks led 15-14 in the fourth but Auburn scored eight of the next nine points to set itself up to secure the match.

This weekend marked the start of a four-match home stand for the Razorbacks. First serve of Wednesday’s match against Mississippi State is scheduled for 7 p.m. (CT). Courtney Lyle and Missy Whittemore will handle the play-by-play and color analyst duties, respectively.

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