The University of Arizona volleyball team went 3-0 in the Cactus Classic this past weekend against Tennessee State University, Boise State University and Virginia Commonwealth University.
On Friday, Aug. 3o, the Wildcats went 3-1 against the Broncos. On Saturday, Arizona faced VCU, also going 3-1 in four sets. The last match of the tournament was a 3-0 sweep against TSU on Sunday.
Day 1: Friday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m.
Match: Arizona vs. Boise State
Arizona beat the Broncos 3-1, starting the tournament with a win. The Wildcats started the match off strong coming out on top in the first two sets (25-15, 25-23). However, Boise responded in the third set with a 26-24 win. Arizona clinched the match in the fourth set, with a 25-20 win.
Arizona had strong blocking from the pins in the first match, holding the Broncos to a .000 hitting percentage, while the Wildcats had a .343 hitting percentage.
Outside hitter Jordan Wilson dominated against Boise, securing 19 kills and 10 digs: her first career double-double. Freshman outside hitter Carlie Cisneros had an outstanding collegiate debut with 13 kills and 16 digs.
Day 2: Saturday, Aug. 31 at 12:30 p.m.
Match: Arizona vs. VCU
On Saturday, Arizona defeated the Rams after falling in the first set 21-25, but the Wildcats picked themselves up in the last three sets (25-12, 25-13, 25-18), winning the match. The Wildcats outhit VCU .368-.111 with a total of 46 kills.
Offensive leader of the game was fifth-year Jaelyn Hodge who had a total of 14 kills along with 3 aces. Cisneros delivered in the second match of her college career with 8 kills, 2 aces and one block. Both Kiari Robey and Sydnie Vanek recorded 8 kills, with sophomore Vanek tying her career high.
Day 3: Sunday, Sept. 1 at 12:30 p.m.
Match: Arizona vs. TSU
To finish out the tournament, the Wildcats swept TSU in the first three sets, (25-22, 25-19, 25-14). Arizona had a total of 51 kills and a hitting percentage of .333. Hodge led the Cats with 3 block assists, while Robey and Journey Tucker contributed 2 apiece.
Hodge dominated in the first set with 6 kills followed by Wilson and Cisneros with 5 kills each. Hodge continued her excellence in the second set with 7 kills. Cisneros had 4 kills, followed by Robey and Wilson. Freshman Adrianna Bridges made her college debut, contributing a kill and a block assist to secure Arizona’s victory in the set.
Arizona’s last set ended strong with Wilson leading the offense with 6 kills and Cisneros close behind with 4 kills.
Looking Ahead
The Arizona Wildcats will travel to Alabama State for the second week of the season to compete in the ASU Collegiate Cup. The Wildcats will kick off the ASU Collegiate Cup in a match against Alabama State on Thursday, September 5th at 4 p.m. MST.
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