The Arizona volleyball team dropped its matches against the No. 3 University of Stanford and the University of California Berkeley over the weekend at the McKale Center. On Friday, Oct. 27, The Wildcats (6-17, 1-11 in Pac-12) fell to Stanford in three sets. Two days later, the Wildcats took another loss to Cal in three sets on Sunday, Oct. 29.
Friday, Oct. 27: No. 3 Stanford (18-2, 11-0 in Pac-12)
Set results: 23-25, 17-25, 22-25
Stanford took the first set. At the beginning of the set, Elia Rubin, from Stanford made two attack errors resulting in a two-point leading advantage for the Wildcats. Arizona added to its lead with two served aces by Ana Heath. The set would, however, come down to the wire late, tying at 23-23 after a kill made by Kendall Kipp from Stanford. The Wildcats lost set one 25-23. In total, Stanford had 13 kills with a 0.281 hitting percentage while Arizona had 15 kills and a 0.231 hitting percentage.
Stanford also won the second set, 25-17. Both teams were tied 2-2 keeping a close game during the first half of the set. The Wildcats were never able to surpass Stanford at the 11-8 mark. Stanford extended its lead, despite the Wildcats getting it as close as 15-17, but the Cardinal would ultimately pull away late. In total, Stanford had 16 kills and Arizona had 10 kills throughout set two.
The Wildcats unable to rally would fall in set three as well, 25-22. Stanford had a strong start to begin this set, leading 5-1. The Wildcats kept pushing, keeping it close as the set progressed. Heath and Jaelyn Hodge each served an ace during set three. Kipp made the last kill of the match which completed the sweep for the Cardinal.
Overall, Stanford had 56.0 points while UA had only 45.0 points, and the overall kills were 44-36, in Stanford’s favor.
Match Leaders:
Kills: Jordan Wilson (11)
Diggs: Joy Galles (7), Haven Wray (7)
Aces: Ana Heath (4)
Blocks: Alayna Johnson (3)
Sunday, Oct. 29: California (15-8, 4-8 in Pac-12)
Set results: 20-25, 19-25, 14-25
Cal secured the first set with a 25-20 victory. Hodge served an early ace, and the teams were tied at 1-1, 2-2 and 4-4 during the early exchanges. However, late in the set, Arizona’s performance waned, allowing Cal to capitalize and clinch the set. Sofia Maldonado Diaz contributed with four kills in the first set, but Cal had the edge with 14 total kills compared to Arizona’s 12.
In the second set, Arizona failed to level the match, falling 25-19. Wilson tallied six kills, while Maldonado Diaz and Alayna Johnson added three and two, respectively. Both teams recorded 13 kills, but self-inflicted errors cost the Wildcats the set.
Cal continued their dominance in the third set, securing a 25-14 win. The match remained closely contested during the first half, with Cal holding a 13-12 lead. However, they later went on a 9-0 scoring run, extending their lead to 22-12. Arizona struggled to catch up and regain momentum, ultimately falling in a one-sided final set and being swept once again to conclude the weekend.
Cal boasted a 0.143 hitting percentage, while Arizona had a devastating -0.1 hitting percentage. The match’s total point tally favored Cal, 46-37, with Arizona recording 32 kills and Cal securing 35.
Match Leaders:
Kills: Jordan Wilson (11)
Digs: Joy Galles (8)
Blocks: Nicole Briggs (1), Ana Heath (1), Jordan Wilson (1)
Aces: Jaelyn Hodge (1), Haven Wray (1), Kenzie Schoenhardt (1)
Arizona will now head back on the road this weekend to Los Angeles, Calif. to face off against USC on Friday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m. and UCLA on Sunday, Nov. 5 at 1 p.m.
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