Courtesy of Arizona Communication Services
(TUCSON, AZ) Junior setter Julia Patterson became the ninth player in school history to record 2,000 career assists, but the 23rd-ranked Wildcats fell in four sets to 16th-ranked Oregon on Sunday afternoon in McKale Center(25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 25-17).
Patterson registered her fourth straight double-double (42 assists, 15 digs) and 12th of the season, tying for the Pac-12 lead with teammate Kendra Dahlke, who remains out with a sprained foot.
The Wildcats posted 54 kills in the match, just two shy of Oregon’s 56 in a match between two of the Pac-12’s top offenses. UA out-dug Oregon 58-53 in the match. But the Ducks had a distinct advantage at the net (13 blocks to 6) and at the service line (9 aces to 4).
“It’s always disappointing to lose,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “I was proud of how we played and how we competed in the first three sets. I’m just really disappointed in how we finished the fourth set. I thought the first three sets went really well for us, but there’s no consolation in coming close and losing. We have to win some sets to win matches.”
The first three sets were decided by a total of nine points, with the Ducks coming out on top in two of those sets.
“It came down to the last five points, and who’s going to execute from 20 to 25 and it was very similar to our matchup in Eugene,” said Rubio “The difference today was that we executed better up there and they executed better down here.”
Three Wildcat sophomores finished with double-digit kills; Paige Whipple led the team with 14 kills while Katie Smoot and Candice Denny posted 12 each.
UA fell to 17-7, 6-6 Pac-12 with the loss while Oregon improved to 15-7, 8-4 Pac-12. The defeat ended a stretch of three straight victories for the Wildcats, who head to Washington State (Friday) and Washington (Sunday) in a key road trip next week.
Set 1 (Oregon 25, Arizona 22): Despite six kills apiece from Candice Denny and Katie Smoot, the Cats dropped the first set, 25-22 to the Ducks.
Set 2 (Oregon 25, Arizona 22): In a second set that almost identically mirrored the first, the Ducks prevailed in a back-and-forth affair that saw Oregon hit .395 in a 25-22 win.
Set 3 (Arizona 25, Oregon 22): In a third consecutive set decided by a 25-22 score, it was the Wildcats coming out on top in another closely contested set. UA had 16 kills on .256 hitting in the frame.
Set 4 (Oregon 25, Arizona 17): The Cats ran out of gas in the fourth, as Oregon cruised to a 25-17 victory to put the match away. The Ducks had five of their nine service aces in the fourth set.
