Madi Kingdon recorded her 11th double-double of the season and Arizona (14-12, 6-9 Pac-12) rallied back from a six-point deficit in the fifth set to outlast Oregon State 3-2 (25-20, 14-25, 25-21, 19-25, 19-17) on Friday night in Corvallis, Ore.
With the match tied at two sets apiece and Oregon State (13-15, 3-13 Pac-12) coming off a fourth-set victory, it looked as if the Beavers had all the momentum as they jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the fifth, which forced the Cats to burn both of their timeouts. The Wildcats finally managed to get on the scoreboard, but OSU still held a six-point lead at 11-5. The Wildcats pulled to within three at 11-8 but it looked as if that would be as close as they would get.
After back and forth play by each team, Oregon State eventually earned match-point at 14-10. An OSU attack error and an Arizona block pulled the Cats within two at 14-12, forcing the Beavers to take a timeout. Then, it became the Madi Kingdon show. Kingdon recorded three straight kills to completely turn the tide and propel the Wildcats to match point of their own at 15-14. A block by OSU tied the score at 15, but Kingdon delivered another kill to give the Cats match-point once again. However, a service error and an attack error by Arizona returned the match-point in favor of Oregon State at 17-16.
Kingdon would not let the Cats go down, as she delivered back-to-back kills to earn match-point once again. This time the Wildcats sealed the deal, as Shaquillah Torres delivered a game-winning kill to fend off a strong fight by the Beavers 19-17. Kingdon was dominant in the fifth set, as she scored 10 of Arizona’s 19 points in the set.
Kingdon finished with a match-high 24 kills to go along with 15 digs, two blocks and a service ace. A total of 16 of her 24 kills came in the first and fifth sets. The Wildcats hit just .195 for the match; it was the first time they won a match this season when hitting below .200.
Lauren Fuller and Chanel Brown combined to dish out 51 assists, while the defense was led by a career-high 21 digs from Ronni Lewis. Meanwhile, Torres and Olivia Magill added nine kills apiece. Halli Amaro had eight kills and a team-high five blocks.
Oregon State opened up the match with an 8-5 lead, but the Wildcats quickly turned the deficit into a 10-9 advantage. The two teams played even until the score was knotted at 18-18. Arizona pulled in front after a Kingdon kill and a block by Rhoades put the Cats up 20-18. Oregon State pulled to within one at 21-20, but Arizona closed on a 4-0 run to win the set, 25-20. Arizona hit .323 in the frame, while Kingdon led all scorers with seven kills.
The Beavers jumped out to a commanding 11-2 lead in the second set. It was a deficit the Wildcats were never able to cut into as OSU cruised to a 25-14 victory in the set. Oregon State hit .440 in the set, while Arizona hit just .036.
For the second straight set, Oregon State got off to a sizeable advantage. The Beavers led 7-2 to open the frame. Then, with OSU in front 8-3, Arizona went on a 6-0 run to take a 9-8 lead. Taylor Arizobal (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) recorded two straight service aces during the scoring run. The Wildcats led by as much as three on many occasions, but they could not quite pull away. OSU cut the lead to 21-20, but the Wildcats won three straight points to earn set point at 24-20. Magill provided a set clinching kill to give the Wildcats a 25-21 victory.
Arizona had all the momentum after winning the third set and the Wildcats got off to a quick 6-2 lead in the fourth. Oregon State quickly erased the Arizona lead after a 5-1 run tied the score at 7-7. After some back and forth play, Arizona regained a three point lead at 16-13. The Beavers would not back down as they went on a 5-0 run to take an 18-16 lead. After the Wildcats won the next two points to tie the score, OSU won four consecutive points to regain a 22-18 advantage. The Beavers won three of the next four points to clinch the set, 25-19.
Oregon State was led by Camille Sexton, who finished with 17 kills, nine digs and three blocks. Meanwhile, Arica Nassar, Ashley Eneliko and Laura Schaudt each recorded double-digit kills. Nassar finished with a match-high nine blocks.
