TUCSON – The Wildcats close out day two of Arizona Invitational with two wins against Arizona Christian (5-0), and Cal Poly (4-1). Arizona's wins this season now reach double digits, currently standing at 10-3 on the year. The SandCats walk away from a day of domination, only dropping one point to Cal Poly.
Arizona came out firing against Arizona Christian on Saturday, only needing two sets on each court to take down the in-state opponent.
In the second match of the day, Arizona took down a fierce Cal Poly squad that hung around until the very end.
The senior duo on court one, Alex Parkhurst and Sarah Blacker gave up a total of 18 points in two sets in their first match of the day. They then went on to win set one in their second match handily. The duo was then battle tested in their second set against Cal Poly. After trailing 15-17 late in the second set, Blacker and Parkhurst used their veteran experience to make a necessary overtime comeback to win their second set. The point they secured granted Arizona their third point of the match and another tally in the win column. The pair went 2-0 on the day.
Abby Russell and Hope Shannon, similarly, allowed less than 21 combined points in both sets against Arizona Christian on court two. The pair took a hit in their first set against Cal Poly, dropping the set 17-21. While making more than a handful of incredible plays, Russell and Shannon rallied back to win their second set by three points and their third set by six points. The pair went 2-0 on the day.
On court three, Alana Rennie and Grace Cook took down Arizona Christian in the first match, keeping them in single digits for their first set and winning by nine in their second set.
Annie Kost and Miranda Erro took down both the in-state opponents in their first match and their second match against the out of state opponent on Saturday. The duo made appearances on court four and on court five. They went to three sets against Cal Poly in a tough matchup, which ultimately came out with Arizona's last point of the day to add on to the final score.
Kali Uhl and Dilara Gedikoglu jumped from court five against Arizona Christian to court four against Cal Poly. They won both matchups Saturday, helping Arizona take home two victories on day two of the Arizona Invitational. The duo outscored their opponents 84-47 in both matches.
Arizona is back in action on Friday, March 24th in Nacogdoches, Texas to take on Stephen F. Austin and Central Arkansas in the SFA Invitational.
#17 Arizona – 5, Arizona Christian – 0
Court 1: Alex Parkhurst/Sarah Blacker (ARIZ) def. Misty McCall/Brianna Boeckman (ACU), 21-11, 21-7
Court 2: Abby Russell/Hope Shannon (ARIZ) def. Haley Brown/Amaya Brown (ACU), 21-13, 21-9
Court 3: Alana Rennie/Grace Cook (ARIZ) def. Riley Brown/Railey Dykstra (ACU), 21-6, 21-12
Court 4: Annie Kost/Miranda Erro (ARIZ) def. Sydney Shaw/Katy Shockey (ACU), 21-7, 21-15
Court 5: Kali Uhl/Dilara Gedikoglu (ARIZ) def. Brianna Beckler/Anna Kate Clark (ACU), 21-15, 21-9
Order of Finish: 1,5,3,4,2
#17 Arizona – 4, Cal Poly – 1
Court 1: Alex Parkhurst/Sarah Blacker (ARIZ) def. Piper Ferch/Izzy Martinez (CP), 21-13, 24-22
Court 2: Abby Russell/Hope Shannon (ARIZ) def. Jayelin Lombard/Piper Naess (CP), 17-21, 21-18, 15-9
Court 3: Delaney Peranich/Brooke Golik (CP) def. Alana Rennie/Grace Cook (ARIZ), 21-19, 21-13
Court 4: Kali Uhl/Dilara Gedikoglu (ARIZ) def. Julia Soeller/Emma Zuffelato (CP), 21-11, 21-12
Court 5: Annie Kost/Miranda Erro (ARIZ) def. Marina Warren/Kalee Graff (CP), 16-21, 21-14, 15-13
Order of Finish: 4,2,3,1,5
