TUCSON – In a defensive struggle in McKale, No. 14 Arizona volleyball outlasted Oregon State in four sets (25-19, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23) in a match that featured a combined 227 digs.
Arizona (21-7, 9-5 Pac-12) set a new season mark with 113 digs, bettering its previous season high at Oregon State earlier in the season (109). The 113 digs are tied for fifth most in a match in school history and are the second-most in a four-set match. The Cats were outdug, though, as Oregon State notched 114 digs in the match.
"That may have been the hardest match of the year for us,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “I felt like it was a very even match against the two teams. A lot of emotion goes into each match but today I thought we were a little flat emotionally. We really had to work hard today. Oregon State is a very good team, as are all the teams in the conference. I felt pretty fortunate to come out with a win. I'm proud of how we hung in there. Taylor (Arizobal) and McKenzie (Jacobson) really stepped up today."
Penina Snuka led Arizona with 31 digs, the fourth most in a game in school history (and second most in a four-set match). Ronni Lewis also set a career high with 27 digs.
“I can't say enough about Penina and her willingness to sacrifice her body,” said Rubio. “The team is a reflection of her, she dictates the flow and the attitude of the team so we are fortunate to have her leading us."
Taylor Arizobal tied a season high with 17 kills on a .326 hitting percentage. Madi Kingdon added 14 kills while Halli Amaro recorded 10. UA hit .153 in the victory, but held OSU to a .136 clip.
"Taylor was terrific,” said Rubio. “Throughout her career, offensively she has been a little inconsistent but lately she has really stepped up her game and has become a lot more mindful and aggressive and therefore has been able to give us a lot more points."
Kingdon, who also added 19 digs for her 12th double-double of the season, tied the Arizona record for double-digit-kill matches with 105 career affairs.
Snuka ran the offense phenomenally, dishing out 47 assists in the match, giving her her 19th double-double of the year.
Arizona got off to sluggish starts in each of the four sets, but used big runs of 7-0 in the first and 7-1 in the third to come from behind and secure victories in the two frames.
Buoyed by a 7-0 run that turned a 14-12 deficit into a 19-14 lead, Arizona cruised to a 25-19 opening set victory. Halli Amaro notched four kills on five swings in the frame.
In the second set, Arizona was held to just a .109 hitting percentage as the Beavers controlled the majority of the game, winning 25-21 behind six kills from Katelyn Driscoll.
In a closely contested third set, Arizona overcame an early hole with a 7-1 run. OSU was resilient though, fighting back to tie the set at 20-20. Arizona prevailed 25-23.
The Wildcats closed out the match by edging out the Beavers 25-23 in the fifth.
Arizona is back in action next weekend when it heads to the pacific northwest to take on Washington and Washington State on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
For more information on Arizona volleyball, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and be sure to follow the team on Twitter (@ArizonaVBall).
