TUCSON, Ariz. – No. 16 Arizona volleyball picked up its third conference sweep in the last four games, needing just three sets to dispose of California (25-19, 25-19, 25-11) Wednesday night in McKale Center.
"It's nice to be able to play with some efficiency and sharpness after Colorado,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “I am pleased with how we responded, and am looking forward to our match against Stanford. Tonight we were engaged though, we were definitely tuned in. Ashley (Harris), Halli (Amaro), Rachel (Rhoades) and Penina (Snuka) all had great energy, and really played superbly this evening."
Arizona (15-2, 4-1 Pac-12) seemed to solve the offensive woes that plagued it at Utah and Colorado, hitting .327 tonight, helped by a .474 effort on 19 swings from Ashley Harris, who had 11 kills on the night.
Madi Kingdon led the team with 13 kills on 36 attempts (.250 hitting percentage). Rachel Rhoades contributed six kills on an errorless 10 swings (.600 hitting percentage).
"It was great beating Cal tonight since (the seniors) haven't beaten them during our time here,” said Kingdon of breaking Cal's seven-game winning streak vs. Arizona. “With Stanford coming up I know that's a win the seniors would really like to take."
Ronni Lewis led the way with 14 digs, while Penina Snuka was also in double-digits with 13. Snuka added 33 assists to pick up her 13th double-double of the season.
Arizona won the battle at the net, outblocking the Bears 9.0-6.5, including five in the decisive third set. Taylor Arizobal was in on five of the blocks. Arizobal also notched eight kills and delivered a service ace in the match.
The UA defense, which leads the conference in digs, held California (8-7, 0-5 Pac-12) to just a .082 hitting percentage on the night. Lillian Schonewise and Christina Higgins had nine kills each to lead the Bears.
In the first set, the Wildcats used five straight points to take an 11-7 lead early in the match and never looked back. Kingdon and Harris each had four kills as Arizona hit .289 to Cal's .114 in the Wildcats' 25-19 first-set victory.
Arizona remained hot in the second set, hitting .342 and cruising to a 25-19 victory.
The Wildcats opened the third set by scoring the games' first 11 points, their best start to any set this season. After their 11-0 start, UA kept the pressure on, leading 17-3 before Cal closed the UA lead to nine at 18-9. It would be the closest the Bears would get as the Cats closed the set on a 7-2 run to win the set 25-11 and sweep the match.
Arizona hosts top-ranked Stanford in McKale on Friday at 8 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
For continued coverage of Arizona volleyball, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and be sure to follow the team on Twitter (@ArizonaVBall).
