Sunday, August 27
Nashville, Tenn.
10:00 AM
University of Arizona
3-1
3
vs
0
Middle Tennessee
0-4
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Tennessee | 13 | 18 | 7 | 0 |
| Arizona | 25 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Arizona Sweeps Middle Tennessee to Close Out Opening Weekend
08/27/2017 | Volleyball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Twenty-fourth ranked Arizona volleyball ended the LUV Invitational in dominant fashion, sweeping Middle Tennessee on Sunday (25-13, 25-18, 25-7) to end the LUV Invitational 2-1.
Who Stood Out?
Set 1: Arizona 25, Middle Tennessee 13
Set 2: Arizona 25, Middle Tennessee 18
Set 3: Arizona 25, Middle Tennessee 7
Who Stood Out?
- Jade Turner had six kills on eight error-free swings (.750) to go along with four blocks.
- Katie Smoot entered in the third set and converted on all five of her attacks. She had a dig in addition to her five kills.
- Elizabeth Shelton tied for the team lead with a career-most six kills (6-1-9, .556). Shelton had two blocks as well.
- Devyn Cross needed just five swings to net four kills. She added three blocks and a pair of digs.
- The Cats outhit Middle Tennessee .408 to -.068 in the match. UA's .408 hitting percentage. UA's .408 hitting percentage was its highest of the season while the -.068 hitting percentage for the Blue Raiders was the lowest in at least the last six seasons.
- Arizona's third-set victory of 18 points (25-7) was its largest since 2015. UA won the first set 25-5 over Texas State on Aug. 29, 2015.
- One weekend in and the Wildcats are already finished with neutral site matches. Arizona won both of its neutral site matches this weekend (vs. East Tennessee State, vs. Middle Tennessee) and lost to host Lipscomb.
- "It's nice to be able to come back from last night and play well. It's always good to get a win on the road." - Dave Rubio
- "I thought Paige Whipple played particularly well this weekend. Right now we're just trying to figure out who's going to be able to do what. We're just trying to figure out the lineup right now, but we had some people play well this weekend." - Dave Rubio
Set 1: Arizona 25, Middle Tennessee 13
- After Middle Tennessee scored the first two points of the match, UA ripped off an 11-1 run to take control of the set.
- The Wildcats limited Middle Tennessee to -.143 hitting in the opener, much thanks to five blocks, three from Jade Turner.
- Paige Whipple and Turner had three kills apiece on 11 combined swings. Kimberly Gutierrez had five of Arizona's 12 digs.
Set 2: Arizona 25, Middle Tennessee 18
- Arizona outhit Middle Tennessee .407 to .062 in the second set to overwhelm the Blue Raiders.
- The Wildcats scored the first three points of the set and never trailed.
- After Middle Tennessee cut the lead to one at 6-5, the Cats went on a 5-1 run to take control of the set.
Set 3: Arizona 25, Middle Tennessee 7
- In its most dominating set victory since Aug. 29, 2017 (S1: 25-5 vs. Texas State), the Wildcats earned a sweep with a 25-7 victory in set 3.
- Arizona hit .591 in the set, led by Katie Smoot's five kills on five swings (1.000).
- Arizona returns home to host the Cactus Classic in next weekend's home-opening tournament.
- UA will welcome Eastern Kentucky, Grand Canyon and Radford for the two-day event at McKale Center, Sept. 1-2.
- The Cats open the weekend vs. Eastern Kentucky at 12:30 p.m. on Friday.
Players Mentioned
MB
/ Volleyball
L/DS
/ Volleyball
OH
/ Volleyball
OH/OPP
/ Volleyball
MB
/ Volleyball
OH
/ VolleyballTeam Stats
MT
ARIZ
Kills
21
38
Errors
27
7
Attempts
88
76
Hitting %
-.068
.408
Points
27.0
51.0
Assists
20
32
Aces
3
2
Blocks
3.0
11.0
Game Leaders
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
4
Kills
6
Aces
0
Blocks
2
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
5
Kills
5
Aces
0
Blocks
0
Tuesday, August 18
Tuesday, August 18
Tuesday, August 18
Wednesday, July 15
