Aug. 29, 2009

Box Score in PDF Format

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --  The Arizona volleyball team capped off a perfect weekend in Louisville Saturday evening as they topped Pittsburgh, 3-1. Final set scores were 28-26, 14-25, 25-23 and 26-24.

The Wildcats (3-0), who earlier in the morning beat Belmont in straight sets, found a formidable foe in the Panthers (2-1) but were able to persevere for the win.

"I thought we played well against a very tough team in Pittsburgh," said head coach Dave Rubio.  "I was pleased with how we were able to pull out the win, especially since each set we won basically came down to deuce."

Tiffany Owens led the Cats with 17 kills and 14 digs.  The junior from San Bernardino, Calif. had a hitting percentage of .368 through the four sets. 

Arizona took the opening set 28-26 as both teams remained close throughout.  In set two, Arizona hit just .054 and was beaten 25-14 to drop its first set of the year.

The Wildcats would find themselves down once again early on in set three but were able to bounce back, establish a lead, and ultimately take the set.  The set three win would set the Cats up with the momentum to win set four, 26-24, and the match outright.

Following the stellar play of fellow sophomore Dana Hutchinson in the morning against Belmont, Courtney Karst came up big for the Cats as she accounted for 12 kills on 18 total attempts.

"We made a few tactical changes during the match," added Rubio.  I thought Courtney Karst played exceptionally well for us after she subbed in for Whitney (Dosty)."

Junior Paige Weber recorded an early season high of 47 assists and combined with libero Alanna Resch to account for 20 total digs. Middle blocker Jacy Norton tallied seven blocks and six kills.

Arizona will now return home for a week of preparation before it hosts the Wildcat Classic, Sept. 4-5.