The Arizona volleyball team was coming off Nov. 4 and 6 back-to-back losses they faced last week on the road. The Wildcats were looking to get back into the win column as their two-game homestand began Friday, Nov. 11, against the University of Washington and ended with them playing against Washington State University Sunday, Nov. 13.
Arizona defeated Washington 3-2. Their set scores were 20-25, 25-18, 12-25, 25-19, and 15-10. They closed their weekend of play falling short against Washing State 3-1. The set scores of this match were 25-22, 17-25, 17-25 and 20-25.
Day 1 – Arizona vs. Washington (20-25, 25-18, 12-25, 25-19 and 15-10)
In the first set, Arizona would start slow but keep it close to the Huskies. Midway into the set, Washington went on a 5-0 scoring run to extend their lead to 14-9. Arizona would respond with two kills from Lauren Rumel and cut into their lead. However, they were never able to close the gap enough as Washington closed out set one with a wire-to-wire victory.
Set two was a different story for Arizona, as they would be the ones to start off playing well. The Huskies continued to keep it close regardless. At the midpoint of the set, the Wildcats went on a 4-0 scoring run. It was started by Lauren Rumel, and it gave Arizona a 13-9 lead. Washington would battle back, but Sofia Maldonado Diaz for Arizona would deliver back-to-back strikes late to give Arizona full control of the set and, ultimately, the win.
Set three started with both teams trading kills, but then Arizona would completely fall apart. The Wildcats conceded 11 errors in this set alone and could never string together enough kills, while Washington went on numerous scoring runs, and took full advantage of Arizona’s mistakes giving them the set three win.
Set four had a different energy to it. It was palpable in the atmosphere; the Wildcats knew it was time to give it their all, or this match would be over. Arizona came out and took a quick 3-0 lead. Then both sides would trade errors and kills, but it was evident Arizona had retaken control. Late in the set, Arizona would have a 4-0 scoring run, which put them up 24-17. The Huskies would close the gap but fell short as Arizona won set four.
Heading into the final set, both teams came out sharp. Arizona had the slight edge, however. The Wildcats went up 10-5 after a kill by Jaelyn Hodge and never looked back. They closed out the match, outlasting Washington.
Day 2 – Arizona vs. Washing State (25-22, 17-25, 17-25 and 20-25)
In the opening set, Washing State would take the early lead. Arizona would close the gap due to errors from the Cougars and look to take the short-lived lead. Both teams would trade kills and errors until Arizona’s 7-0 scoring run. Arizona’s Argentina Ung started it and Sofia Maldonado Diaz ended it with back-to-back kills. This run gave the Wildcats full control of the set and sealed their win.
Set two was very similar to the start, the Cougars would take the early lead, but Arizona would battle back and take the lead at 5-4. However, Washington State would respond with back-to-back 4-0 scoring runs, which gave them full control of the match. The Wildcats completely gave this set away with their eight errors.
Set three was a back-and-forth early between both teams. Until Washington State began stringing together kills and forcing more errors from Arizona. This allowed them to build a lead behind their leader in kills Pia Timmer who had five kills in this set alone. Washington State would win set three.
As set four began Arizona looked defeated. The Cougars came out fast and took full advantage of their momentum in the match. They went up 10-4 despite Arizona responding with a 4-0 run. Washing State kept their focus and never let up against the Wildcats. Pia Timmer left her mark on the match in this set with eight timely kills to give Washington State the set and match win.
Arizona sits at 14-13 on the season. The Wildcats have entered the final stretch of their season. They face the University of California, Berkeley next on the road Nov. 17, at 8 p.m. MST.
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