TUCSON - Following its worst hitting performance in four years, No. 14 Arizona volleyball rebounded with its second best hitting percentage in the Pac-12 season. On Sunday in McKale the Cats swept Utah (25-17, 25-19, 25-16).
"In our league, you never know when you're going to win again and I didn't feel comfortable until the match was over," said head coach Dave Rubio. "We played ok today."
Arizona hit .293 in the match, led by Halli Amaro's .600 figure on 10 attacks.
"We made better decisions today as attackers and our setting was better," said Rubio. "We have to continue to get better."
Junior Kalei Mau and senior Nikki Attea both had double-digit kills in Sunday's match with 14 and 11 kills, respectively. The duo also recorded their season- high hitting percentages (Mau .308, Attea .269).
Senior Halli Amaro was a key defender against the Utes with three solo blocks and two block assists. She also added to the offense with seven kills and a career best hitting percentage (.600). MacKenzie Kleespies also had a strong defensive performance with 11 digs.
Arizona hit .371 in the opening set, as Attea and Mau combined for 10 kills on 17 errorless swings on the pins, leading Arizona to a 25-17 victory in the first.
Utah rebounded with a great start to the second, scoring the set's first five points and controlling the early part of the frame until a 3-0 Wildcat run tied the set at 15. Arizona extended the run to 8-1 to turn a 15-12 deficit into a 20-16 lead. Arizona went on to win the set 25-19 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The Cats continued their momemtum into the third set. Arizona dominated Utah with 14 kills, 35 total attacks and a .257 hitting percentage over Utah's .000. Jade Turner came into the match late in the third set to help the Wildcats close out the match with a kill on one attack. The Cats downed the Utes 25-16 in the third to sweep the match.
Up Next: The Wildcats hit the road for two matches in California. Arizona takes on Stanford on Friday, Oct. 30 at 8 p.m. before heading to Berkeley to take on the California Golden Bears on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. Friday's match will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.
Follow Arizona Volleyball: For further coverage of Arizona volleyball, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and follow the team's Twitter and Instagram accounts (@ArizonaVBall).
