Courtesy of Arizona Communicatuons Services
(LOS ANGELES, CA)
No. 20 UCLA swept 23rd-ranked Arizona (26-24, 25-22, 25-23) in Pauley Pavilion on Friday night.
The Wildcats (14-5, 3-4 Pac-12) hung tough with UCLA (10-5, 5-3 Pac-12) in each set, losing twice by the minimum two points and once by three, but struggled to execute at the end of sets.
“UCLA played very well,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “We played well, too, just not well enough.”
UCLA held a distinct advantage at the service line, where it had seven aces to Arizona’s two. The Wildcats committed 13 service errors in the match.
“The service line was not friendly to us and was really good for them,” said Rubio. “Even with that disparity, we still had our opportunities and couldn’t capitalize.”
Paige Whipple led the Wildcats with 11 kills. She (11 kills, 14 digs) and Julia Patterson (29 assists, 11 digs) had double-doubles in the match.
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UA outblocked UCLA 7-5 in the match, but UCLA outhit Arizona .221-.179 in the sweep. Patterson and Devyn Cross led Arizona with three blocks apiece.
In a first set dominated by runs, UCLA pulled away 20-16 only to have Arizona score five of the next six to take a 22-21 lead. The Wildcats would later fight off two set points to turn a 24-22 UCLA lead to a 24-24 tie, but the Bruins scored the final two points to win the set.
The Bruins narrowly edged the Wildcats, 25-22 in the second to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
In another set that came down to the wire, UCLA won the third, 25-23 and held the Wildcats to just .107 hitting in the frame.
Up Next
The Wildcats will face No. 15 USC in the Galen Center on Sunday at 1 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks.
