The University of Arizona volleyball team (14-11, 8-7 in Big 12) lost 3-1 (25-18, 25-23, 25-19, 25-18) to No. 25 BYU on Wednesday, Nov. 19 at 6 p.m. in the Smith Fieldhouse in Provo, UT. This is the second time the two teams have faced off this season. They previously met in McKale Center two weeks ago where the Wildcats took victory in four sets.
Standout players
Leading the match for Arizona was senior Jordan Wilson who tallied 21 kills during this match. She was followed by sophomores Carlie Cisneros with 12 and Adrianna Bridges with 9. Bridges was not only essential with kills but defensively as well, tallying a game-high seven blocks.
Set 1
Arizona started the first set off strong getting the first two kills on the board, one of those kills was an ace from Avery Scoggins. The Wildcats and Cougars stayed close throughout the beginning of the set, but BYU began to pull away after a 3-point scoring run brought them up 9-5. This didn’t stop Arizona as they closed the gap 11-11 after an Arizona roof from Bridges and an ace from Scoggins. BYU’s Alex Bower served the Cougar’s third ace of the evening giving them a 5 point advantage over Arizona.
Arizona’s right sides and middle blockers were having trouble maintaining consistency in their defensive reads. BYU won the first set 25-18
Set 2
Wilson began the second set with a kill for Arizona. BYU gained a 2-point lead over Arizona but kills from Wilson and Journey Tucker tied up the set 5-5. The Cougars went on a 3-point scoring run with 2 consecutive kills from freshman Suli Davis. A long rally ended with Tucker putting the ball over the net closing the gap 14-12. BYU pulled away from the Wildcats 21-17 after a 3-point scoring run with kills from Brielle Kemavor and Davis. Bridges hit a strong spike that led to a BYU timeout.
The Wildcats were able to tie up the match at 23 after two kills from Tucker, but unfortunately, they were never able to get ahead of them. The Cougars took the second set 25-23.
Set 3
BYU came in hot with 4 consecutive points. This didn’t discourage the Wildcats as Wilson came back and scored 3 back-to-back kills. This was followed by a 6-point scoring run that gave Arizona a 5-point advantage over BYU. Throughout the match, the Wildcats kept extending their lead with kills from Renee Jones, Wilson and Bridges. Brenna Ginder served an Arizona ace which brought the Wildcats up 23-17.
The Wildcats pulled away early in the set and gained a healthy advantage that BYU was not able to catch up to. Arizona won the third set 25-19.
Set 4
Throughout the fourth set, the two teams remained close, going point-for-point. Arizona had a two point lead that was short lived as the Cougars went on a 4 point scoring run with kills from Claire Little Chambers and Kemavor which brought them up 9-7. A BYU ace served by Elli Mortensen tied the game at 16. The Cougars then pulled away with another 4 points scoring run that gave them a 3 point lead.
Arizona put up a good fight, unfortunately it wasn’t enough and BYU was able to get redemption on its home court. BYU took the fourth set 25-18.
Looking forward
The Wildcats remain on the road in Utah to take on the University of Utah this Friday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Jon M. Huntsman Center. This will be the last away game before the Wildcats return home for their final two games of the season.
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