It wasn’t the kind of blowout that “sweep” often implies, but it was more than enough to end Arizona’s 17-game winning streak that stretched back to Nov. 8, 2024. The Washington Huskies rode a festive environment in Alaska Airlines Arena to the 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-22) victory on Friday evening.
“The first home match, the crowd, the band, and a great environment,” Arizona head coach Rita Stubbs said about the factors that helped the home team rise to the occasion.
Neither team was ever really in control. The biggest streak by either squad was four points by UW in the first set. After that, neither team could muster more than three points in a row.
The biggest lead for either side was an early four-point advantage for Washington. In both of the first two sets, the final tie came at 23-23. In the third, Arizona cut the Huskies’ lead to two points at 23-21 and 24-22.
The difference came down to who was better when things were going off-track and at crunch time. In the long points or at the very end of a set, the Huskies were able to fight through and score more often even when it looked like things favored the Wildcats.
“We could never get in a rhythm,” Stubbs said. “It’s like we were right there, and then we make an error or a funky play, you know what I mean? I don’t want to say we were nervous, but we looked like we were hesitant, for sure.”
Stubbs also felt that the Wildcats couldn’t put everything together at the same time.
“Our passing was good in the beginning, but then we weren’t running our offense, and then our passing broke down,” she said. “And then they were out of system and asserting their will, and we were just hoping.”
Outside hitter Jordan Wilson led the match with 17 kills while hitting an efficient .286. She narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs. Her two service aces and three total blocks gave her 20.5 points.
Arizona got double-doubles out of outside hitter Carlie Cisneros and setter Avery Scoggins. Cisneros had 10 kills and 10 digs. She added three aces for 13 points. Scoggins had two kills on .400 hitting. She also contributed 32 assists and 12 digs.
The number of digs Scoggins had to make often put Arizona in a poor offensive situation. Instead of the 2.05 digs per set that she averages, she was forced to make 4.0 per set to keep Arizona in the points against the Huskies.
Scoggins came in ranked seventh in the country with 11.19 assists per set. She still averaged double-digit assists per set against Washington, but the number of times she had to make first contact forced others to set the ball far too often.
Up Next for Arizona Volleyball
Arizona Wildcats (6-1) vs San Diego Toreros (3-3)
When: Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. MST
Where: Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Wash.
Stats: Arizona Live Stats
Stubbs tried to change things up at times. Junior middle blocker Journey Tucker has been out for the entire season. She had been wearing a boot until a little over a week ago, but she was back to full practice this week.
Tucker played in two sets against UW, but she looked like she was still working herself back into the game. The nature of the tight sets made it difficult for her to do that.
“I thought she was definitely a step off,” Stubbs said. “I think that she could do it, but maybe that wasn’t the match when she was going to be the most successful. But you got to get back in there. She has the most experience of them all, so you’re looking forward to her being able to go in and do something with that.”
The winning streak was bound to come to an end eventually. Arizona cannot dwell on it. The Wildcats have to get back on the court against San Diego tomorrow at 2 p.m. MST. Despite being 3-3, the Toreros were picked to win their league this year and have played a tougher schedule than UA. Stubbs saw some things today that she thinks can carry them through.
“We know it’s going to be tough and we’re ready to go after it,” Stubbs said. “They’re gonna come out and serve competitively. They’re gonna tip the ball around us. I mean, all the things that we know are coming. It is a matter of how we bounce back, how we respond in that situation. But I don’t feel like we ever gave up, so that’s important.”
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