Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
Two sets up. One set away from a win.
That’s where the Razorbacks stood Friday night before it all got away from them.
Arkansas volleyball dropped its SEC opener to Auburn in five sets. The set scores went 25-21, 25-23, 26-28, 19-25 and 9-15.
The loss drops the Hogs to 8-4 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Arkansas had the lead. It just couldn’t hold it.
The deciding set showed that best. The first few points went back and forth before Auburn scored four in a row to go up 6-2.
Mistakes piled up for the Razorbacks after that. The Tigers never let them back in and finished it 15-9.
Laurendine leads the attack
Lakin Laurendine had 17 kills to lead the team.
Romani Thurman was next with 13. Parker Duncan added 11 more.
Duncan wasn’t done there. She also picked up 12 digs for her fourth double-double this season.
Kiki Remensperger handed out 36 assists. She also posted 15 digs, which was the most by any player in the match and a new season high for her.
That gave Remensperger her fifth double-double of 2026.
The back row stayed busy all night. Libero Madi Benne and defensive specialist Gaby Cornier finished with 13 digs apiece, giving Arkansas four players in double digits.
Blocking was a real strength for the Hogs. They outblocked Auburn 11-7, with Aleki Alexander posting six (one solo and five assists) and Thurman adding five.
How the Hogs built a lead
The first set was close early. Duncan put down two kills in a row to make it 8-5.
Auburn didn’t go away. The Tigers grabbed a 15-13 edge at the technical break.
Then the Razorbacks answered with four straight points. Auburn took a timeout down 17-15.
Arkansas won the next two points, too. Auburn got within two after another timeout, but a 3-0 run ended by a Duncan ace pushed the score to 22-17.
A Laurendine kill and an Auburn attack error sealed the set 25-21.
Set 2 started well. Thurman hit two kills for a 4-1 lead.
Auburn then took seven of the next nine points to lead 8-6. Two Arkansas errors and a Tigers block later, it was 17-12, and the Hogs used a timeout.
Arkansas fights back in set 2
That break helped. A 3-0 run cut the gap to 21-19, and Auburn called time.
An Auburn error and a Duncan kill tied it at 21. Thurman then gave the Razorbacks the lead with a big swing.
The Tigers went ahead 23-22 on an ace. The Hogs scored the next three, including another Thurman kill, to take it 25-23.
It’s the last set Arkansas would win.
Auburn jumped out to an 11-6 lead in the third. The Razorbacks struggled to string points together until a 4-0 burst featuring a Cornier ace and two Laurendine kills tied it 14-14.
The Tigers moved back in front. Some Auburn errors and a Thurman kill trimmed the lead to one, and two quick points put Arkansas ahead 24-23.
Auburn takes control
The set was tied three more times. Auburn took it 28-26.
The fourth set opened with a 4-0 Tigers run for a 5-3 lead.
Auburn kept the Hogs from getting many chances. A 3-0 run capped by a Thurman kill pulled Arkansas within 13-11.
That was as close as it got. The Tigers reached 20 first and won the set 25-19 to force a fifth.
Up next for the Razorbacks
Arkansas gets a week off.
The Hogs head to Georgia on Friday, Oct. 2, for a 6 p.m. match. They’ll then face South Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 4, at noon.
Both matches will stream on SEC Network+.
The Razorbacks will have seven days to work on closing out matches.
