It was a great weekend for the No. 15 Arizona beach volleyball team, as they defeated the University of California-Davis at Howard Field by a match score of 4-1 on Friday, March 12.
Sand Cats Brooke Burling and Sarah Blacker dominated their opponents in two sets with scores of 21-11 and 21-14. Burling was aggressive at the net and Blacker served a lot of aces. It was this lethal combination that allowed them to end their sets so early.
Another pair that had a great day was defender Alana Rennie and blocker Alex Packhurst. After edging their opponents in the first set 21-18, the Sand Cats wanted to ensure that the next set was not as close. After adjusting on offense and defense, Packhurst and Rennie won their next set comfortably 21-13.
One team that had both sets come down to the wire was defender Natalie Anselmo and blocker Carly Lowry. Both sets were hard fought on both sides, but the Sand Cats came on top in both by scores of 21-17 and 21-16.
The only team that was pushed into three sets for the day was defender Dana Parker and blocker Mady Noble. After dropping the first set 16-21, the Sand Cats knew they needed to bounce back and they did. The next set was no contest, as Parker and Noble dominated with a score of 21-9.
They carried that momentum into the third set and closed it out with a 21-19 victory. Sand Cats Abby Russell and Hope Shannon were the only pair who struggled against UC Davis. Russell and Shannon kept their sets close, but ultimately dropped both by scores of 21-23 and 20-22.
This match victory against UC Davis allowed the Sand Cats to remain undefeated with a 6-0 record.
Arizona will head back to California to face Cal Poly and Boise State in the Cal Poly Tri-Match on Sunday, March 21.
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