PULLMAN, Wash. - No. 13 Arizona volleyball outlasted Washington State in five sets (25-22, 21-25, 25-23, 29-31, 15-8) to earn a split of the Washington schools and improve to 22-8 (11-7 Pac-12) on the season.
The Cats got it done both offensively and defensively, as UA accumulated 109 digs, the seventh most in school history, marking the fourth time this season that the Cats have crossed the century mark in digs.
UA was led by Madi Kingdon's 34 digs, the fourth most in Arizona history. The senior added 22 kills. Kingdon now owns the only two 20+ kill and 30+ dig matches in Arizona history (also did it earlier this year vs. Stanford).
Ashley Harris and Taylor Arizobal were outstanding for Arizona, which leaned heavily on the offense to secure the win in Pullman. Arizona hit .274 in the match, its highest hitting percentage in a match to go more than three sets this season.
Harris tied a season and career high with 19 kills, hitting .340 while doing so. Arizobal posted similar numbers, killing a season-high 18 balls on a robust .356 hitting percentage.
Penina Snuka, who suffered a knee injury in the first set vs. Washington on Friday night, entered in the second set on Saturday. The sophomore dished out 34 assists and dug 17 balls while adding one service ace and two blocks.
Arizona outblocked WSU 12-8 in the match, led by Halli Amaro's six stuffs. The junior also registered eight kills in the match on a .500 hitting percentage.
Led by seven kills from Kingdon, Arizona cruised to a first set victory, 25-22. The Wildcats hit .356 in the opening frame.
In the second, there was little to separate the two teams in the early going. The two teams were neck-and-neck until WSU broke out late, scoring five of the game's final six points in a 25-21 lead.
The Cats trailed 14-12 in the third before using a 6-0 run to take a four point lead. The Cougars would battle back though, taking a 23-22 lead. UA would score the final three points to win the third set 25-23.
In a dramatic fifth set, Washington State outlasted Arizona 31-29, in a frame in which Arizona needed a late-set comeback to force duece.
Arizona raced out to an 8-1 lead in the fifth set, cutting off any momentum Washington State hoped to carry into the fifth set. Arizona ran away with the fifth, 15-8 to secure the victory.
The Cats conclude the regular season next week when they host USC for senior day on Wednesday before heading to Arizona State on Friday. Both matches begin at 6 p.m. MST.
