TUCSON – In a five-set thriller at McKale Center, No. 23 Arizona took down No. 11 UCLA (25-22, 29-27, 25-27, 21-25, 15-10), winning the fifth set after dropping the third and fourth sets.
“It's certainly nice to beat a highly ranked team,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “I think that may be the first one of the year for us, and here we are entering the last week of competition. We have always talked about the process of winning and what it takes every day in practice. Some parts of today were a little hard for us, but we found a way to get it done. I'm happy for us.”
All five sets were decided by five points or fewer with two requiring deuce to settle. UA (18-12, 8-10 Pac-12) won the opening two sets before falling in the third and fourth to give UCLA (22-6, 13-5 Pac-12) the momentum heading into the fifth. Arizona overcame it all, bouncing back with a 15-10 victory in the fifth.
The Wildcats were finally able to break through against one of the nation's elite teams. Arizona entered the match 0-10 against top-15 teams, but had only been outscored by 2.5 points per set in those matches.
Junior Penina Snuka recorded 18 digs, becoming Arizona's all-time leader in digs by a setter with 1,160, surpassing Dana Burkholder's 14-year record of 1,146 digs recorded from 1998-2001. Snuka is seventh in Arizona history for all players. Additionally, Snuka tied a career-high with 59 assists, picking up her Pac-12-leading 19th double-double.
Laura Larson recorded a career-high 27 digs in a match that featured 212 total digs. Both teams surpassed the century mark in digs – UCLA 112, Arizona 100 – easily the most combined digs in a conference match this season. Entering the match, only one team (Arizona – 112 vs. SMU, 8/28) had recorded triple-digit digs in a match in 2015.
"It's a great feeling,” said Larson. “For the last month we have been working hard in practice and trying to get back to how we were at the beginning of the season. We were focusing on getting better at defense and getting to those balls. It's great to finally see our hard work paying off."
Nikki Attea, who sat out Friday's match vs. USC due to injury, notched an Arizona-career high 23 kills on .315 hitting.
"Having Penina's trust really helps,” said Attea. “And all of our hitters had a great night and that opened up a lot of opportunities for me. I have to give it to our passers for really stepping up tonight.”
Kalei Mau came one kill and one dig shy of her first career 20-20 match. Nonetheless, her 19 kills and 19 digs gave the junior her ninth double-double of the season.
Tyler Spriggs tied a career-high with 18 kills, doing so on an impressive .260 hitting percentage.
Arizona's victory comes just over a month after UCLA swept Arizona in the teams' first meeting, outscoring the Cats 75-56 in the process.
In the first, it was Arizona overcoming an early 5-1 hole, coming back to defeat UCLA 25-22. Arizona outblocked the Bruins 6-0 in the opening frame.
UCLA controlled the second set, taking a 23-19 lead over Arizona before the Cats fought back. UA saved two UCLA set points to force deuce and eventually outlast UCLA 29-27.
The Bruins saw another late lead disappear in the third set when UCLA lost its 22-18 edge thanks to a 6-2 Arizona run that tied the set at 24. Arizona would extend to a 7-2 run that gave the Cats their first match point, but UCLA scored the game's final three points to take the set 27-25.
Arizona started hot in the fourth, leading the Bruins 12-7 before UCLA ripped off an 11-3 run to take control of the set. UCLA won the set 25-21 to tie the Cats 2-2 in the match.
The Bruins never led in the fifth, with Arizona separating itself late to win 15-10.
Up Next: The final week of the regular season is on deck for Arizona, which travels to Oregon State on Wednesday before hosting Arizona State for senior day on Friday.
Follow Arizona Volleyball: For further coverage of Arizona volleyball, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and follow the team's Twitter and Instagram accounts (@ArizonaVBall).
