TUCSON, Ariz. -- The No. 17 Arizona Wildcats (18-19) finished the Arizona Invitational 3-1 after going 1-1 in day two. Arizona added their third win of the weekend against No. 11 Long Beach State, signifying their first program win over the Beach. The Wildcats loss came against No. 7 GCU to end finish out the weekend. Pair Alex Parkhurst/Alana Rennie went undefeated on the weekend finishing bringing their season record to 14-11. 

Head Coach Steve Walker
"This was a really important weekend for us for a number of reasons; and given all of the circumstances entering it it's hard not to like the overall outcome. This group showed real character and grit when we needed it most vs. a Long Beach team that's having a terrific season. Not the exact ending we wanted on the weekend, but a success nonetheless. We have every reason to show up ready to practice this week, get better and play next week with the utmost enthusiasm as the season enters its final chapter."

Against Long Beach State, the Cats earned their first program win after falling to the Beach four times. The 3-2 finish came by way of two three set finishes and one two set finish. Pair Abby Russell/Dana Parker clinched the first Arizona point in just two sets, going 21-18, 21-11 to split the duel 1-1. After the Beach was able to increase their lead via court three, Sarah Blacker/Maja Kaiser evened out the duel to 2-2 after fighting hard to pull out a win in three sets. After winning the first 21-17 and falling 19-21 in the second they were able to split the duel with a 15-11 final. The deciding point came from Hope Shannon/Annie Kost on court five where they fought hard through three sets. The pair fell 18-21 in the first but were able to pick up a quick 21-13 win in the second and ultimately finished the third 15-12. 

The Wildcats finished the weekend with a 4-1 loss to No. 7 GCU. The Lopes first three points came in quick two set matches on courts three, four and five. Blacker/Kaiser were able to pull out a 21-19 win in the first set but were forced to a third after falling 14-21 in the second. Ultimately the pair came up short in a 15-7 final in favor of the Lopes. Arizona's single point came from Parkhurst/Rennie on court one. After losing in the first set 19-21 the pair was able to rally and come back in the second (21-19) and third (15-8) to earn Arizona a single point, and the final point of the match. 

UP NEXT
The Cats will travel to Salt Lake City, Utah for their final regular season tournament on Friday, April 22. The Cats will take on Cal Poly and Utah at 10:00 am MST and 2:00 pm MST. The following week, Arizona will be host to the Pac-12 Tournament at Bear Down Beach. 

FULL RESULTS

#17 Arizona 3, #11 Long Beach State 2 

1. Skyler Germann/Alice Pratesi (LBS) def, Alex Parkhurst/Alana Rennie (ARIZ) 21-18, 21-12
2. Sarah Blacker/Maja Kaiser (ARIZ) def. Sydney Stevens/Katie Kennedy (LBSU) 21-17, 19-21, 15-11
3. Jillian Rodriguez/Emily Mattoon (LBSU) def. Jasmine Safar/Dilara Gedikoglu (ARIZ) 20-22, 21-9, 15-11
4. Abby Russell/Dana Parker (ARIZ) def. Nicci Reinking/Claire Newlander (LBSU) 21-18, 21-11
5. Hope Shannon/Annie Kost (ARIZ) def. Sophie Major/Christine DeRoos (LBSU) 18-21, 21-13, 15-12
Order of finish: Doubles (1,4,3,2,5);


#17 Arizona 1, #7 Grand Canyon 4 

1. Alex Parkhurst/Alana Rennie (ARIZ) def. Jess Vastine/Anaya Evans (GCU) 19-21, 21-19, 15-8
2. Allanis Navas/Allison Hansen (GCU) def. Sarah Blacker/Maja Kaiser (ARIZ) 19-21, 21-14, 15-7
3. Samaya Morin/Teagan DeFalco (GCU) def. Jasmine Safar/Dilara Gedikoglu (ARIZ) 21-12, 21-14
4. Abbie Hughes/Krista Rowan (GCU) def. Abby Russell/Dana Parker (ARIZ) 21-16, 21-8
5. Dana Roskic/Cami Sanchez (GCU) def. Hope Shannon/Annie Kost (ARIZ) 21-14, 21-13
Order of finish: Doubles (4,3,5,2,1);