For the No.16 Arizona volleyball team, it was a story of what could have been.
The Wildcats took on the No.1 Stanford Cardinal in McKale Center on Friday looking to upset the No.1 team in the nation for the second-straight season. However, the Cardinal had other plans as they claimed victory in four sets (25-23, 24-26, 25-20, 25-20).
Despite a 22-kill and nine-dig performance from UA senior standout outside hitter Madi Kingdon, the Arizona Wildcats (15-3, 4-2) could not hold back the Cardinal’s offensive flurry. As a team, Stanford hit .408 and had 72 kills.
Arizona struggled throughout to maintain a high hitting percentage against the Cardinal but still nearly managed to send the game to a decisive fifth set in front of an emotionally invested home crowd.
The Wildcats labored through four sets behind 21 attack errors and had a team hitting percentage of just .259. Aiding Kingdon were senior outside hitter Taylor Arizobal and junior middle blocker Halli Amaro, who finished with 14 and 13 kills each.
The Cardinal showed why they are the top team in the nation by dominating with a powerful offensive scheme.
Leading the Cardinal was the quartet of Jordan Burgess, Inky Ajanaku, Morgan Boukather and Merete Lutz. They combined for 59 kills, 114 total attacks and a combined .449 hitting percentage average.
Looking forward, the Wildcats are off until October 17th and 19th when they face the Washington schools in McKale Center.
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