Arizona volleyball dropped both games this weekend against No. 20 California and No. 5 Stanford.

Thursday:

Arizona lost to No. 20 California 3-0 on Thursday night at the McKale Center. In the first set, the University of California, Berkeley jumped out to an early 6-3 lead. The ‘Cats battled back to close the gap to three at 14-11 after a Katie Smoot kill. Cal once again gained control and kept Arizona from getting any closer and took the set 25-21. 

Arizona got off to a hot start in the second set, jumping out to their own 6-3 lead. Cal was able to rally and take the lead at 14-13. Arizona tried to make it interesting late after tying the set due to a Paige Whipple kill at 17. Cal was able to weather the storm and get the 25-21 win in set two. 

In the third and final set, the lead changed hands five times within the first ten points. Once Cal took an 11-10 lead halfway through the third set, they would never let the Wildcats get close again and they cruised to a 25-16 victory, and a 3-0 match win.

Saturday:

On Saturday night, the Wildcats lost to No. 5 Stanford 3-0 at home, similar to Thursday night’s story. The Wildcats could only hold onto the lead for a short time as Stanford came right back and recaptured a 12-11 lead. The Cardinal began to pull away from Arizona at this point and eventually taking the 25-16 victory in the first set. 

The second set was once again competitive at the start, with the leading team changing three times during the first seven points. Stanford was able to gain a 7-6 lead and would never look back. The Wildcats tried to make a run to close the gap, but Stanford was too strong and they took a 25-17 victory in set two. 

In the third set, Stanford took a commanding 11-3 lead early. After multiple timeouts taken by Arizona, the ‘Cats could never get back into this set and they lost by a final score of 25-16 in the final set, dropping the overall match 3-0. 

Paige Whipple led all players in this match with 16 kills and led the game in total attacks with 49.

Head Coach Dave Rubio was happy with the effort from the team, saying, “The girls went out there and battled today. I can’t ask for more than their best and they gave it today.”

What’s Next:

The Wildcats fall to 12-14 on the season after this weekend’s action. They will be back in action on Friday, Nov. 15, at Oregon and Sunday, Nov. 17, at Oregon State.

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