SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – On a night where Arizona's offense struggled to the tune of a .181 hitting percentage, the Wildcats' back line stepped up, leading No. 14 Arizona to a sweep of Utah (25-21, 25-23, 25-23) on Friday night at Crimson Court.
“We're living life on the edge,” said Head Coach Dave Rubio of the close victories in each set. “We weren't as sharp, but we managed to play well at the right time. Rachel (Rhoades) came in and gave us good minutes. I was pleased with how the littles played. Ronni (Lewis) played really well and Kennedy (Wesley) and Laura (Larson) stepped up. We'll take the win on the road. Doesn't matter how we play, we'll take the win.”
Arizona outdug Utah 53-39 in the match and had three players register double-digit digs.
Penina Snuka led the Wildcats with 16 digs to go along with 38 assists, giving the sophomore her 11th double-double of the season. Madi Kingdon also chipped in a double-double, digging 12 balls and picking up 18 kills on 46 swings (.196 hitting percentage). Ronni Lewis added 14 digs.
The victory improved Arizona's record to 14-1 on the season, its best start since 2000. With a victory at Colorado on Sunday, it will be the best start in program history. Arizona's 3-0 conference start is its best since beginning Pac-10 play 3-0 in 2005.
The victory marks Arizona's second-consecutive road sweep. Seven days ago, Arizona travelled to and swept then-No. 20 UCLA (25-20, 26-24, 27-25).
McKenzie Jacobson registered seven kills on just 10 swings. Jacobson has started Arizona's last six games and has at least six kills in each match.
Arizona controlled the first set, leading by as many five points before Utah fought back, cutting Arizona's lead to 21-19. The Cats closed strong, scoring four of the game's final six points. It was not pretty for Arizona, which hit just .132 in the set, but a big frame from Kingdon (eight kills) led Arizona to the 25-21 opening-set victory.
The teams battled early in the second, trading one-point leads until Arizona took a 10-8 lead and eventually extended the lead to six points. Utah used a 7-1 run to tie the game at 22 and the teams traded points to retie the match at 23. The Cats snagged the next two points to win the match 25-23.
Utah opened an early lead in the third, but it was quickly erased as Arizona began to pour it on, appearing poised to cruise to the sweep. UA opened its lead to 20-14 before the Utes fought back with fury. The Utes went on a 9-2 run to take a 23-22 lead. UA scored the final three points of the game, the final a block by Halli Amaro to seal the UA sweep.
Arizona takes on Colorado on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. MDT in search of its best start in program history.
For continued coverage of Arizona volleyball, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and be sure to follow the team on Twitter (@ArizonaVBall).
