TUCSON, Ariz. – Despite a solid night offensively, No. 16 Arizona volleyball could not hold off top-ranked Stanford as the Cardinal won in four sets (25-23, 24-26, 25-20, 25-20) in front of 3,238 fans at McKale Center on Friday night.
“Stanford is clearly a very good team,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “But I'm upset that we didn't play better. Our expectations were high for us. We had to have played with composure and poise and I feel like we didn't do that tonight."
The Wildcats took the Cardinal to deuce in the first set and won the second set before struggling in losses in both the third and fourth sets. Arizona's second-set victory was just the eighth set that the undefeated Cardinal have lost all season.
“I look at Stanford being a good team, maybe even the best team,” said Rubio. “I look at Arizona thinking 'okay, we are right there with them'. I think we are good enough to beat them, we just need to prove it."
Offensively, the Cats hit .259 and received double-digit kills from three players, but the defense allowed Stanford to hit .408 in the match.
Madi Kingdon picked up 22 kills, her 22nd 20-plus kill match of her career. Taylor Arizobal picked up 14 kills on 28 swings while Ashley Harris added 13 kills.
Ronni Lewis led the way defensively, digging 16 balls while Laura Larson was also in double digits with 10 digs. The Cats, who lead the Pac-12 in digs, were outdug in the match 69-59.
"We didn't defend well tonight and that's something that we normally do,” said Rubio. “That's normally where we beat other teams, with our digging. Those digs turn into transition swings and we score. Tonight that wasn't the case. I thought we served really well, our scoring was good, our blocking was okay, but our defense was poor."
Both teams recorded seven blocks. Arizona was led by McKenzie Jacobson, who had three solo blocks and one assist.
In the first set, Stanford cruised out of the gates, leading 12-6 and then 17-12 before Arizona began to rally. UA scored three straight to cut Stanford's lead to two and would later cut the lead to one at 22-21. Stanford scored the next two to get to set point before Arizona responded with back-to-back kills. Stanford eventually fended off the Wildcats, winning the opening set 25-23. The Cardinal hit .432 in the frame, while Arizona hit .333.
Stanford opened an early lead in the second, taking a 17-12 lead in the set. The Cats would fight back, using a 6-1 run to tie the game at 18. From there the teams would fight back-and-forth with the Cardinal taking a 24-23 lead trying to close out the set and take a commanding 2-0 lead. UA scored three straight to end the game and tie the match at one.
The Cardinal doubled up the Wildcats early in the third, 12-6. A 9-3 Arizona run tied the game at 15, but it would be all Stanford from there on out. The Cardinal hit .441 in the set as it took the game 25-20.
Arizona came out strong in the fourth, leading the Cardinal 11-9 after 20 points. The Wildcats would struggle passing from there on out, as Stanford used a late run to defeat Arizona 25-20 in the fourth to win the match.
Arizona is back in action next weekend when it welcomes Washington State (Friday) and Washington (Sunday) to McKale Center.
For continued coverage of Arizona volleyball, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and be sure to follow the team on Twitter (@ArizonaVBall).
