Courtesy of Arizona Communication Services
(LOS ANGELES, CA) No. 15 USC defeated 23rd-ranked Arizona in four sets (25-18, 22-25, 25-17, 25-16) on Sunday afternoon in the Galen Center.
The Wildcats were without the Pac-12 leader in kills, Kendra Dahlke, who suffered a concussion on Friday night vs. UCLA, as well as Elizabeth Shelton, who missed her eighth straight match with a concussion. Without the two starters, the Wildcats struggled both offensively and defensively; USC outhit Arizona .370-.164.
Three sophomores stepped up in Dahlke’s absence to attempt to fill the offensive void. Katie Smoot led the Wildcats with 13 kills, a new career high and classmates Candice Denny and Paige Whipple finished with 11 apiece.
“I thought Katie played terrific today,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “Overall it was a tough match for us. I thought our first contact skills weren’t at the level we needed them to be. They were the far better team from the service line today.”
Click on our sponsor’s logo for more information
Arizona, which lost its fourth straight match to a ranked opponent, fell to 14-6, 3-5 Pac-12, while the Trojans improved to 14-5, 4-2 Pac-12. The Wildcats return home now for four straight matches at McKale Center beginning this week vs. Colorado (Friday) and Utah (Sunday).
S1 (USC 25, Arizona 17): USC ended the first set on an 8-1 run after Arizona rallied to tie the frame at 17. USC had 16 kills and just one attack error in the set (.500).
S2 (Arizona 25, USC 22): The Wildcats evened up the match with a 25-22 victory in the second. UA hit .252 in the bounce-back frame.
S3 (USC 25, Arizona 17): The Trojans dominated the third set from start to finish, using five blocks to hold UA to .026 hitting in the set.
S4 (USC 25, Arizona 16): Another dominant performance by USC led the Trojans to a sweep. USC had 16 kills without an error (.727) in the frame.
Up Next
The Wildcats will return home to host Colorado (Friday) and Utah (Sunday) in McKale Center next week.
