Arizona Volleyball shows more growth but falls to No. 10 Utah

Playing in their second game in three days, Arizona Volleyball made strides but No. 10 Utah showed why they are one of the best teams in the Nation.

There are days where you can make great strides but still come up short in a match, and unfortunately, that is what happened in Salt Lake City Sunday afternoon for Arizona Volleyball.

Going up against No. 10 Utah again, the Wildcats needed to play a virtually perfect game against the Utes if they were going to pull off the upset, and while that was not the case we at least found more reasons to be optimistic about what the future holds for Volleyball in Tucson.

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona was able to largely able to correct the error issues that were a problem on Friday night, however, I can’t imagine the Wildcats will see a net-front presence as daunting as Utah’s, which was everywhere the Cats tried to turn. After a five-block performance on Friday, the Wildcats were able to muster just two blocks on Sunday.

Match Leaders

Kills– Jaelyn Hodge, Sofia Maldonado Diaz (6)

Assists– Emery Herman (12)

Aces– Paige Whipple (2)

Digs– Herman (8)

Blocks– China Rai Crouch (2)

Maldonado Diaz Shines Again

One Wildcat that impressed throughout for the Utah series was Freshman Sofia Maldonado Diaz. Building off a strong performance on Friday, Sofia looks poised to become the go-to option for the Arizona attack game the next few years. Coming off a five kill and two ace performance against Utah in the series opener, Maldonado Diaz added another 5 kills for the Wildcats on Sunday.

The former Mexican U18 and U20 Middle Blocker has made a pretty seamless transition to the outside for the Wildcats through two games. The needle is pointing sky-high for Sofia as she continues to develop under Coach Rubio.

Hodge and Herman Take Big Strides in Match 2

Freshmen were always set to have a big impact for the Wildcats in 2021 and of which Jaelyn Hodge and Emery Herman were both among the more exciting student-athletes that the Wildcats brought in. After making their debuts on Friday, both took big strides in their second go-round for Arizona.

Following a solid start at setter on Friday night, Emery chipped in with 12 assists and she looks to take control of the setting reigns for the Wildcats offense moving forward.

Jaelyn followed up her three kill debut for Arizona by having another six kills for the Wildcats on Sunday. I would expect to see both of these ladies become future All-Pac 12 performers and make even larger strides in the coming weeks.

On Deck for the Wildcats

The Wildcats are set to return home to Tucson as they welcome the Washington Huskies at McKale Center on Friday and Saturday. As always, Bear Down, Arizona!