Arizona volleyball loses 3-1 to No. 22 Utah

Melisa Guzeloglu

November 1, 2024

University of Arizona volleyball players Avery Scoggins (#6) and Alayna Johnson (#32) block the ball together on Oct. 24 against Arizona State University in McKale Center. The Wildcats out-blocked the Sun Devils 2.0-0.0 but Arizona only hit .146 in the set.

The University of Arizona volleyball team (13-7, 2-7 in Big 12) fell 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 25-20, 26-24) against the No. 22 University of Utah on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 6 p.m. in Salt Lake City. The Wildcats are 1-4 in their last five games as they move deeper into conference play.

Jordan Wilson and Jaelyn Hodge both achieved a double-double as Wilson finished with 21 kills and 12 digs and Hodge followed with 20 kills and 12 digs. Defensively, three other Wildcats tallied 10 or more digs including Avery Scoggins with 16, Haven Wray with 11 and Carlie Cisneros with 10.

Set 1

Hodge put the first kill on the board for the Wildcats but the Utes quickly answered, matching Arizona’s scoring. Utah went on a 4-point scoring run, taking a 11-6 lead to force a Wildcat timeout. Wilson gained a block but the Utes continued to find ways to score, finishing with a .308 hitting percentage. Lauren Jardine served an ace for Utah, gaining an 18-12 lead over Arizona. Hodge led the set with 6 kills but Utah won the first set 25-20, taking a 1-0 match lead.

Set 2

The Wildcats opened the second set with a 3-0 scoring run, quickly taking control of the lead. Arizona’s offense continued to respond to Utah and shock its defense. Both programs had scoring runs late in the second set but ultimately, Arizona held onto the lead. Utah never found the lead in set two and was held to a .262 hitting percentage. Wilson tallied 7 kills and hit .545 percent. Hodge put up 4 kills and served the final point for Arizona to take the second set 25-21, which tied the match 1-1.

Set 3

Utah and Arizona exchanged points early on in the third set, preventing each other from growing a lead. However, Utah used small scoring runs to create a gap between themselves and Arizona. Claranne Fechter served an ace for the Utes as the lead grew to 15-10 over the Wildcats. Despite Arizona tying the score 18-18, Utah pulled ahead late with a 5-point scoring run. The Wildcats fell 25-20 in set three as Utah tallied six blocks to claim a 2-1 lead.

Set 4

Arizona took off on a 4-point scoring run in the beginning of set four to find a 5-1 lead. The Utes served 2 aces early in the set, denying Arizona the chance to create a lead. Utah held Arizona to a .250 hitting percentage and put up four blocks against the Wildcats. Arizona took on a 24-21 lead latter in the set. Utah answered the Wildcats with a 5-point scoring run to take the lead and win the set 26-24. With the victory Utah also won the match 3-1 over the Wildcats.