TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona fell in five sets (25-15, 17-25, 21-25, 27-25, 16-18) to Colorado on Wednesday night in McKale Center.
All three of Arizona's pins had double-doubles and the Wildcats totaled 12 blocks in the match.
Carlie Cisneros led the way with 19 kills and 11 digs,
Jaelyn Hodge followed with 17 kills and 13 digs, and
Jordan Wilson had 16 kills and 11 digs.
Journey Tucker led the defense with seven block and Hodge had six blocks.
Arizona took the first set, 25-15. The Cats cruised to the win in the opening set with six blocks to hold the Buffs to a -.037 hitting percentage. Tucker tallied four blocks to lead the defense and Hodge followed with three blocks. Offensively, Arizona hit .333 and Cisneros and Wilson had four kills each, with both hitting above .500 in the set.
Colorado won the second set, 25-17, to tie the match. Arizona was held to a .059 hitting percentage and only one block in the set. Colorado used three blocks and a 7-0 run to win the set. Cisneros had three kills but only hit .143 in the set while Hodge and Wilson recorded two kills each.
The Wildcats fell 25-21 in the third set. Colorado's defense took advantage of Arizona's errors, holding the Wildcats to a .162 clip. Despite Wilson tallying four kills and Hodge and
Kiari Robey recording three kills apiece, Arizona made untimely errors to drop the set.
Arizona won the fourth set, 27-25, to force a fifth set. The Wildcats came out strong in the fourth set, tallying four blocks and hitting .368 to overcome the Buffaloes. Cisneros led the attack with six kills while hitting .545. Hodge followed with five kills of her own and Wilson notched four kills. Three Cats – Hodge, Robey, and Tucker – had two blocks each to lead the defense.
The Buffs won the fifth set, 18-16. Although Arizona served two aces, they didn't record a block and were held to a .214 hitting percentage in the set. Colorado's offense did not commit an attacking error and the Buffs' defense had three blocks to overcome the Cats. Hodge tallied five kills and Cisneros had four kills, but it wasn't enough for Arizona.
The Wildcats will host Houston on Friday, October 18 at 6 p.m. MST in McKale Center.
