TUCSON, Ariz. -- Arizona volleyball swept rival Arizona State in its Pac-12-opener on Thursday night in McKale (25-18, 25-21, 25-21), in front of 2,685 fans, the most in McKale since Nov. 27, 2015.
The Wildcats improved to 12-1, 1-0 Pac-12 while the Sun Devils fell to 9-4, 0-1 Pac-12; ASU has not won a conference match since 2016. Arizona's win over Arizona State marked its fourth straight in the series and the 11th consecutive win over the Sun Devils in McKale Center. Arizona now owns a 50-43 all-time series record over its rival from the north.
Arizona dominated Arizona State at the net, oublocking the Sun Devils 12-3 in the match.
Devyn Cross had a season-high eight blocks in the contest to lead the team. Arizona, which ranked second in the Pac-12 opponent hitting percentage entering the match (.144), lowered that number on Thursday; ASU hit .144 in the match, the ninth opponent that UA has held under .200 hitting in Arizona's last 11 matches.
Senior outside hitter
Kendra Dahlke led the Wildcats with 14 kills in the match. The Pac-12's leader in kills saw her 15-plus-kill streak come to an end, but added to her Pac-12 lead in double-doubles. Dahlke had 14 kills and 11 digs and now has double-doubles in six straight matches and nine total on the year.
A pair of sophomores,
Shardonee Hayes and
Katie Smoot, set career highs in kills in the match. Both Hayes and Smoot had nine kills on 14 error-free swings (.643). Smoot added a career-high-tying five blocks while Hayes had three in the match.
Arizona outblocked Arizona State 5-0 in the opening set, holding the visitors to an .075 hitting percentage, as the Wildcats cruised to a 25-18 victory in the first set.
Kendra Dahlke had six of UA's 12 kills in the first set.
In the second set, ASU led the Wildcats 17-16 before Arizona scored nine of the final 13 points to run away with a 25-21 victory. Dahlke had six more kills in the second set and the Cats won the frame despite being outhit .205-.182.
The Cats dominated the third set, winning 25-18 to sweep the match.
Quotable
Arizona Head Coach Dave Rubio
Opening Statement:
"It was nice to play in front of a terrific crowd. I really want to thank the Zona Zoo for coming out in force. The Tucson community really supported our match tonight and that was great, especially the Zona Zoo. That is the biggest number of Zona Zoo people I have ever seen in my 20 years. I really appreciate those guys coming out and supporting us."
On having a huge crowd supporting the team:
"They enjoyed playing. They were nervous. We have not been nervous ever, and tonight we were nervous. We were not that sharp. We had a lot of unforced errors, which is something we need to continue to address. My talk to them before the match started was, 'this is the reason why you train as hard as you do, is to be able to play in front of a big crowd in McKale Center. For us, in volleyball, it is comparable for what a packed house would be for men's basketball. It was a good sized crowd for us."
On playing ASU to start the Pac-12:
"In a young season, getting that first win in the conference is a big deal. It is always nice to do it against your in-state rival. But, we have a tall order now. We are on the road now for the next three matches. We will see what we do. Right now everyone is chasing Stanford in the conference. They look like they are post-season form at this point. But, we will give it a shot. The following week we are at the Oregons, and they are very good as well. I was watching their matches last night. There is not going to be a match that we can walk in and expect to win.
Sophomore Outside Hitter Katie Smoot
On the key for the front line…
"Offensively it was putting the ball on the court where we knew the defense wasn't, and using the block to our advantage really helped us tonight to get kills."
On what it is like to play in a rivalry game…
"Personally, I had a lot of adrenaline going into the game and I just wanted to beat them in three as fast as I could."
On going home to play Stanford…
"I'm excited because I get to see my family and I want to beat Stanford really bad especially to show my family how far we've come since last season"
Redshirt Sophomore Middle Blocker Shardonee Hayes
On her performance…
"It was the most confident I have felt this year on the court. Being a redshirt sophomore, coming from two years of not playing, to playing this year and starting, it was very exciting for me.
On the impact of the crowd…
"It was very important because it gives us something to play for; the fans. That was the biggest crowd we have had for the past two years that I have been here, so that was very exciting for me and the team."
On playing No. 2 Stanford…
"I think we have nothing to lose at this point. Stanford, they won the championship in 2016, they are ranked number two this year, so we have nothing to lose but to play our hardest every single play."
Social Corner
All 2,685 fans were on their feet for Arizona's 12th block of the night, a walkoff #ArizonaRoof.
Keep Up With the Cats
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Up Next
Arizona travels to second-ranked Stanford on Sunday. The Cats and the Cardinal play at 12 p.m. MST on the Pac-12 Networks.
