Tempe, Ariz. – Arizona finished the first day of the Pac-12 South Invitational 1-1, defeating Utah but earning their first loss of the season against the No. 14 ranked Washington Huskies.
Arizona secured a 3-2 victory in their first match of the day against Utah. Later in the evening, the Wildcats fell to the Huskies 1-4.
Pair Hope Shannon/Grace Cook fell just short in a close three-set match against Utah, winning the first set 21-19, then losing the final two sets 16-21, 13-15, respectively.
Shannon and Cook fought another tough battle against the Huskies in the evening, ultimately falling in two sets 21-14, 21-18.
Abby Russell/Olivia McElroy lost their first match of the season against Utah’s Rylee Johnson/Bella Vezzani in a close competition at No. 2, falling 22-20, 19-21, 12-15.
Later in the day, the two lost another tight three-set match against Washington, putting the pair at 7-2 on the season.
At No. 3, Arizona pair Kylee Fitzsimmons/Annie Kost defeated the Utes in two sets 21-12, 21-12, finishing fourth and clinching the dual win for Arizona.
Fitzsimmons and Kost fell to Washington’s Scarlett Dahl/Kendall Mather in their evening match 13-21, 15-21.
Jess Horwath/Kate Phillips earned a point for the Wildcats in a close matchup against Utah’s Marissa Koch/Kylie Pitzak, winning 22-20, 21-19. Incredible defensive plays by Kate Phillips and Jess Horwath secured this win for the freshman pair.
Later in the day, Phillips and Horwath again demonstrated their perseverance, coming back from a 21-17 loss in the first set to win the second 25-23, but the pair ultimately fell in a back-and-forth battle in the third set 20-18.
Miranda Erro/Ashlynn Zilliken had a strong showing in both of their matches. Against Utah at No. 5, the pair defeated the Utes 21-14, 21-15. In their evening match, Zilliken and Erro secured Arizona’s first point of the dual, defeating the Huskies 21-14, 21-19.
The Wildcats will play again on Sunday, facing No. 3 USC at 12 p.m. and No. 10 ASU at 4 p.m.
Arizona – 3, Utah – 2
Court 1: Langley Griffin and Kate McAlister (UTAH) def. Hope Shannon and Grace Cook (ARIZ) 19-21, 21-16, 15-13
Court 2: Rylee Johnson and Bella Vezzani…
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