The University of Arizona volleyball team (14-12, 8-8 in Big 12) fell short in a 3-2 loss to the University of Utah Friday night, Nov. 21, in Salt Lake City. The Wildcats have now lost their last three games. 

Set one

Arizona opened the game with two kills from Avery Scoggins, giving the Wildcats an early 2-0 lead on the Utes. Arizona was in control for the majority of the set, securing a 7-point lead midway through, with Scoggins providing several assists for Jordan Wilson and Journey Tucker to finish off the kills. The set ended 25-19 in favor of the Wildcats.

Set two

The Utes were able to establish more of a presence on the court in the second set, keeping the score close with the Wildcats before taking the lead and gaining an 8-point advantage, bringing the score to 22-14 for Utah. The Utes were able to continue this run, evening out the sets with a 25-18 final score. 

Set three

Coming into the third set, both teams were battling for the lead on the court, trading points back-and-forth. Wilson was leading Arizona’s offense with dominant kills, making it hard for the Utes to defend. Constant subs for Utah kept their players sharp and energized on the court, giving them what they needed to separate from the Wildcats and win the third set 25-21.

Set four

In a lengthy fourth set between the Utes and Wildcats, neither team was able to pull ahead. Tied at 24-24, they traded points in a back-and-forth battle before Arizona closed it out with a 31-29 win.

Set five

Wilson was able to tie her season high in kills with 29 in the final set of the match; however, it wasn’t enough to defeat the Utes in this tiebreaking run. The fifth set was won by the Utes 15-6.

Looking ahead

With only two games left to play in the season, Arizona heads back to Tucson to take on West Virginia University on Wednesday, Nov. 26, at 6 p.m. in McKale Center.