In the Arizona volleyball team’s three-game loss to No. 4 Washington in McKale Center last night, senior Dominique Lamb broke a school record for block assists by registering three, bringing her career total to 438.
After 18 years as the record-holder, Kelly Waage and her 436 assists now occupy second on the all-time list.
“”I finally made it,”” said Lamb, a middle blocker. “”It’s pretty cool. It means I’m getting my job done.””
UA head coach Dave Rubio said the Wildcats’ loss does not overshadow Lamb’s new record, but added that a win would have made it sweeter.
“”Records are records,”” he said, “”but when you win, they’re terrific.””
The Wildcats (12-12, 2-10 Pacific 10 Conference) extended their losing streak to seven with the 30-28, 30-18, 30-20 sweep by the Huskies (21-1, 10-1) before a crowd of 601.
Arizona is now 0-8 this season against ranked teams, having been swept five times in its seven-game skid.
“”Every match in this conference is going to be a tough match,”” Rubio said. “”We have to have a well-balanced attack, and tonight we didn’t pass the ball well, and we could not score. It always comes down to simple execution.””
Arizona hit .381 to Washington’s .419 in the first game. Down 24-18, the Wildcats rallied to cut the score to 28-26 but couldn’t hold on.
“”For Washington, it all starts with the serves,”” Rubio said. “”They put pressure on their opponent by serving and passing well.””
Outside hitter Tiffany Owens swatted nine of her team-high 19 kills in game one for a .533 attacking percentage. It was her first time seeing time in the back row and playing without
being substituted.
The freshman said after the game that she struggled. Rubio said he was impressed with Owens’ performance, but that Arizona’s attack was unbalanced.
“”When you’re counting on a 3-pointer to win a game (in basketball), eventually it catches up to you,”” he said. “”If you don’t have a running game in football, eventually that catches up to you. You have to have a well-balanced attack. Because we didn’t pass well tonight, we didn’t have a balanced attack.””
Junior Brittany Leonard recorded a match-high 12 digs as the Wildcats’ libero. It was the first time since Sept. 7 that sophomore Alanna Resch did not wear the color-contrasting jersey for Arizona.
Rubio said that he chooses who will play at libero and who will play as defensive specialists based on a statistical analysis gathered during weekly practices.
“”Whoever has the best passing numbers is going to end up being the libero,”” he said. “”Alanna had the lowest passing numbers.””
With 36 assists, setter Paige Weber now has 1,035 in her career. It took the freshman 24 matches to pass 1,000, just two matches longer than Arizona all-time assist leader Dana Burkholder needed. Burkholder amassed 5,424 assists as a Wildcat.
Arizona plays Washington State in McKale Center tonight at 8. The Cougars (9-16, 0-11) lost to ASU in four games last night in Tempe, extending their losing streak to 14.
Arizona’s last win came against WSU on Oct. 4 in Pullman, Wash.
“”The team with the better state of mind entering the game is going to win,”” Rubio said.
