LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Arizona triumphed over Northwestern in a five-set nail biter to close out the Springhill Suites Invitational in Las Cruces, N.M. Arizona went 2-1 in the tournament, beating New Mexico State and Northwestern.
Set 1 | Arizona - 20, Northwestern - 25
Northwestern took the first set 25-20.
Sofia Maldonado Diaz put down six kills and hit .556 and
Kamaile Hiapo served an ace, but Northwestern's offense hit .265.
Emery Herman and
Merle Weidt combined on a block assist.
Set 2 | Arizona - 27, Northwestern - 25
Arizona tied the match in the second set at 1-1.
Jaelyn Hodge found her rhythm in the second set with seven kills and Herman, Hodge, and
Puk Stubbe all served one ace each to help the Cats win the set in extra points. Herman had 12 assists, helping lead the Arizona offense to the set win.
Set 3 | Arizona - 25, Northwestern - 17
Arizona's offense came to life in the third set, hitting .355. Herman and Maldonado Diaz both had three kills and Hodge tallied four kills in the set. Herman kept the Northwestern offense from scoring with a block solo and two block assists. Weidt also had a block solo and
Zyonna Fellows was a part of two block assists.
Set 4 | Arizona - 15, Northwestern - 25
Northwestern evened up the match in set four, forcing the match to go five sets. Herman and Maldonado Diaz led the offense again with two kills each.
Alayna Johnson picked up her first two career kills, but it wasn't enough to keep Northwestern at bay.
Set 5 | Arizona - 17, Northwestern - 15
Arizona edged out Northwestern in the fifth set to win the match 3-2. Arizona had five players with two kills each and the team hit .348, helping the Cats secure the match win after Northwestern fought off three of Arizona's match points.
Match Leaders
Kills:
Sofia Maldonado Diaz - 17
Assists:
Emery Herman - 40
Aces:
Kamaile Hiapo - 3
Digs:
Kamaile Hiapo - 14
Blocks:
Emery Herman - 4
The Cats will make their second non-conference road trip to Texas next weekend when they take on Texas and Notre Dame on September 10-11.
