Seattle- The Sand Cats suffered losses against No. 1 UCLA and No. 2 Stanford to close out their play at the Pac-12 North Invitational Friday. Arizona finished with a 1-3 record at the tournament.
While the Wildcats dropped to No. 2 Stanford in a 0-5 loss, three of the five courts went to three sets.
Later in the afternoon, Arizona fell to UCLA, the No. 1 team in the nation, 1-4.
Arizona’s Abby Russell/Olivia McElroy tested Stanford’s pair at the No. 1 position, pushing the match to three sets before ultimately falling just short against the Cardinal. After a loss against UCLA in the afternoon, the pair went 1-3 at the tournament.
Pair Hope Shannon/Annie Kost returned to the No. 2 spot for the day. The two lost a hard-fought three-set battle against Stanford Saturday morning and came up just short against the Bruins, giving them a 1-3 pair record at the invitational.
Kylee Fitzsimmons/Grace Cook went 1-1 at No. 3 for the day, falling short to Stanford’s 3’s pair but earning the sole point for the Wildcats in the match against UCLA.
At No. 4, Arizona’s Jess Horwath/Kate Phillips fought to the end against the Stanford pair, coming back from a 21-15 first set loss to win the second 23-21, before ultimately falling short in the third set (15-11). Against the Bruins, Phillips and Horwath lost a well-matched two sets (21-23, 19-21). The freshmen, going 1-3 as a pair at the tournament, continues to prove their resilience and persistence in these close matches.
Arizona’s Miranda Erro/Ashlyn Zilliken went 1-3 at the tournament after two challenging matches on Saturday.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Wildcats remain on the road this week, traveling to Boise, Idaho for the Boise State Tri-Duel, where they will face Saint Mary’s and Boise State.
#18 Arizona – 0 , #2 Stanford – 5
Court 1: Xolani Hodel and Brooke Rockwell (STAN) def. Abby Russell and Olivia McElroy (ARIZ) 19-21, 21-16, 15-9
Court 2: Ruby Sorra and Taylor Wilson (STAN) def. Annie Kost and Hope Shannon (ARIZ) 21-12, 17-21, 15-4
Court 3: Kelly Belardi and Chloe Hoffman (STAN) def. Kylee Fitzsimmons and Grace Cook (ARIZ) 21-13, 21-19
Court 4: Kate Reilly and Clara Stowell (STAN)…
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