TUCSON, Ariz. -- Kaleigh Nelson poured in a match-high 17 kills to propel No. 3 Washington (21-1, 13-1 Pac-12) to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-18) victory over Arizona (17-9, 7-7 Pac-12) on Sunday at McKale Center.
The loss was Arizona’s first of the year at home in Pac-12 play. The Wildcats were previously a perfect 5-0 at home in league play.
Washington hit .216 for the match, but the story was its defense. Arizona was only able to muster an .067 hitting percentage, while the Huskies outblocked the Cats 11-6.
Madi Kingdon led the Wildcats with 15 kills while also adding nine digs. Penina Snuka recorded a double-double, as she dished out 23 assists to go along with a team-high 11 digs. Meanwhile, Taylor Arizobal added seven kills on .222 hitting.
The Huskies came out firing in the opening set, as they reeled off the first four points of the match. Washington led by as many as seven and cruised to a 25-19 victory. The Huskies hit a solid .250 in the frame while holding the Wildcats to just .057 hitting.
Washington got off to another quick start as it opened up a 3-0 lead in the second set. This time Arizona battled its way back to tie the score 11-11. After the two teams traded points, the Huskies went on a 3-0 run to grab a 15-12 lead, forcing the Wildcats to take a timeout. The Wildcats went on a 3-0 run of their own following the timeout to tie the score once again. From there, Washington won the next five points to take a 20-15 advantage. The Huskies went on to take a 25-20 victory in the set.
The Huskies jumped out in front 8-3 in the third set; however, Arizona won the next five points to even the score 8-8. Washington quickly answered with a 4-0 run to regain a 12-8 advantage, and the Wildcats could never quite catch up, as the Huskies went on to take the set 25-18.
