Arizona volleyball lost to No. 10 Washington by a final score of 3-1 on Friday night at the McKale Center.
The first set was competitive throughout. Neither team was able to gain a lead larger than two points. Washington looked as though they were going to take control of the set when back-to-back kills gave them a 21-18 lead, but Arizona did have an answer, as the Wildcats put together a 6-3 run to tie the set back up at 24 each.
Arizona kept the hot streak going after the Washington timeout; a kill from Makenna Martin and an attack error from Claire Hoffman boosted the Wildcats to a 26-24 set one victory.
The Wildcats carried over some momentum the first set, getting off to a good start by grabbing a 3-1 lead. Washington would find their footing and battle back to tie the match three different time once at 4 points, 11 points and 14 points. Once the Huskies took a 15-14 lead, they never gave it back. Arizona tried to make late runs to try and cut the deficit, but the Huskies were always able to keep the three points as they went on to take the second set 25-21.
The third set, like the first set, was competitive to begin. After the Wildcats tied the score at 4, the set was all Washington after that. At one time, the Huskies went on a 7-1 run to open up a 17-7 lead over the Wildcats. The Wildcats made multiple attempts to cut the lead, but the Huskies were too strong for Arizona. Washington rolled to a 25-13 set win.
In fourth and final set, both teams started out strong. After the first couple points, the Huskies were able to take control of the set, taking an 11-5 lead before the first Arizona timeout. After Dave Rubio’s timeout, it was more of the same from Washington; they looked dominant over the Wildcats as they cruised to a 25-13 victory in the fourth set and a 3-1 victory in the match.
“We had a lot of momentum after the first set, but we let it go to waste,” said Head Coach Dave Rubio.
Paige Whipple led all Arizona players with 18 kills.
After this game, Arizona falls to 14-15 on the season. The Wildcats will be back in action at the McKale Center Sunday, Nov. 24 against No. 22 Washington State.
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