TUCSON, Ariz. — The Wildcats return home this weekend to host the Wildcat Spring Challenge at Bear Down Beach. Arizona is coming off a strong showing last weekend, going undefeated at the Utah Invitational. The Wildcats closed out the tournament with a 3-2 win over host Utah on Saturday morning to finish the weekend undefeated.
Adri Nieves Papaleo and Kate Phillips won a tight three-set match on court one, securing the third set 15-11 to get Arizona on the board early.
Ashlyn Zilliken and Madeline Walker also won in three sets on court three. After splitting the first two sets (21-16, 16-21), the pair battled to a 15-12 win in the third.
Annie Kost and Elin Kaiser delivered the clinching point for Arizona on court four with a straight-set victory (21-15, 21-14) over Utah's Kylie Pitzak and Elle Burleson.
The Wildcats finished the tournament sweeping all three of their matches, with two of them being decided by close 3-2 scores.
Wildcat Spring Challenge Schedule:
Friday, April 4:
Arizona vs. Utah (11:00 AM MST)
Arizona vs. Arizona State (3:00 PM MST)
Saturday, April 5:
Arizona vs. TCU (10:15 AM MST)
Arizona vs. Pepperdine (1:45 PM MST)
Live scoring for all matches will be available at arizonastats.com.
Series History vs. This Week's Opponents
Utah – Arizona has dominated the series against Utah, holding an 11-0 all-time record. The Wildcats won the most recent duel just last week, 3-2, in Salt Lake City. Arizona has never lost to Utah.
Arizona State – The in-state rivalry is always competitive. Arizona leads the all-time series 17-10 but is looking to break a two-match losing streak after falling 5-0 to ASU on March 26 in Tempe.
TCU – The Wildcats are 4-1 all-time against TCU. The last match was in 2020, where Arizona fell 4-1. Before that, Arizona had won four straight in the series.
Pepperdine – Arizona is 3-4 all-time vs. Pepperdine but enters this weekend on a three-match win streak against the Waves, including a 3-2 win last season on March 2, 2024.
Noting the Wildcats
Adri Nieves Papaleo and Kate Phillips showed out against Utah, winning a tough three-set match on court one.
Ashlyn Zilliken and Madeline Walker battled hard on court three. They had a close match but stayed focused and won the deciding third set.
Annie Kost and Elin Kaiser were steady and controlled on court four. They got a straight-set win to seal the duel for Arizona.
