Arizona volleyball returned back home to McKale Memorial Center this weekend to host the No. 14 USC Trojans on Friday night after being on the road for a couple of weekends.

Even after a hard-fought battle, the Wildcats could not muster enough up energy to beat the Trojans in the fifth and final set of the match (28-30, 16-25, 25-21, 26-24, 11-15).

“It was unfortunate, we really didn’t play well together,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “It was remarkable that we even did as well as we did, but the team was not together, and I’m grasping in straws right now trying to figure out what happened.”

Sophomore Paige Whipple led the Wildcats with a season-high 21 kills as well as 10 digs on the night. After tonight, Whipple recorded her ninth double-double of the season.

“It was frustrating at times,” said Whipple. “It was dead on the court, and there was no energy. I just tried everything I could to contribute physically and tried everything I could to contribute to the team.”

Junior Julia Patterson added 48 assists and 13 digs for the ‘Cats, and senior Kendra Dahlke had 16 kills and 17 digs on the night.

“It was disappointing,” Patterson said. “We let go of an opportunity that could have solidified us into the playoffs … We will remember this taste in our mouth and will be ready to get back to the gym and be ready to beat UCLA, because that’s an important match for us.”

Arizona lost the first two sets of the match but rallied back to force a fifth set for the third-straight game. But against the Trojans, Arizona could not hold on to keep up with the Trojans and force a victory.

Catch the ‘Cats back in action Sunday against No. 25 UCLA at home in McKale Center in Tucson, Ariz. at noon on Pac-12 Networks.

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