TUCSON, Ariz. -- Playing in her final regular-season home match, senior Candace Nicholson recorded a career-high 36 digs to lead Arizona (20-12, 10-10 Pac-12) to a 3-1 (25-22, 16-25, 25-23, 25-21) victory over rival Arizona State (19-13, 8-12 Pac-12) on Friday at McKale Center.
Nicholson, who was recognized before the match, nearly added another digs record to the several she already holds, finishing just one dig short of Katie Jackels’ school record for digs in a match. Jackels recorded 37 digs in a five-set match against Saint Mary’s on August 25, 2007.
Nicholson was one of five Arizona players with double-figure digs on the night
Arizona’s defense was the story of the match, as the Wildcats held the Sun Devils to just a .176 hitting percentage. Meanwhile, Arizona recorded a season-high 103 digs as a team, which ranks seventh in school history. Coincidentally, five of the top 10 highest dig totals in school history have come against Arizona State. The Wildcats also outblocked the Sun Devils, 9-5.
Three Wildcats finished with double-doubles on the night. Madi Kingdon recorded 20 kills and 11 digs, Jane Croson added 18 kills, 18 digs and three service aces, and Penina Snuka dished out 42 assists with 22 digs and three kills. Croson’s 18 kills were her most since also recording 18 in a win against No. 21 Oregon on Oct. 4. Meanwhile, Snuka’s 22 digs were a new career high.
Taylor Arizobal also finished with double-figure digs, as she added 12 to go with four kills and four blocks. Olivia Magill was solid on both ends, as she recorded eight kills on .364 hitting to go along with a match-high five blocks.
Arizona closed the regular season with 20 wins, its most in a season since 2010, when it finished with a 20-12 record. The Wildcats also earned a split in the Territorial Cup series for the third consecutive season.
The Wildcats got off to a strong start in the opening set as they jumped , jumping out to a 7-4 lead. The lead did not last long, however, as ASU immediately went on a 4-0 run to take an 8-7 advantage. The Wildcats answered with a 7-1 run to regain a 14-9 lead, and while the Sun Devils cut the lead to two on several occasions, that was as close as they would get, as the Cats took the set 25-22. Kingdon led Arizona with five kills, while the Wildcats held the Devils to just .137 hitting.
ASU responded in the second set by taking a 5-2 advantage, and Arizona could never get back into it. The Sun Devils led from start to finish and came away with a 25-16 victory to even the set. ASU hit a strong .362 in the set while holding Arizona to .151 hitting.
The Sun Devils jumped out to a quick 6-3 advantage in the third set, forcing the Wildcats to take an early timeout. Arizona responded after the timeout with three straight points to tie the score, and ASU answered right back with four straight points to regain the lead, 10-6. Arizona would not go away, though, winning seven of the next 10 points to tie the score 13-13. However, ASU answered once again with a 3-0 run to regain a three-point lead. The momentum kept shifting, as the Wildcats won three straight to even things up. After some back and forth play, Arizona broke a 21-21 tie with two straight points to take a 23-21 lead. UA then earned set point at 24-23 and clinched the set after an ASU service error. The Wildcats hit .280 for the set while the Sun Devils hit just .175.
The Cats had all the momentum to start the fourth set, and they jumped out to an 8-3 lead. Arizona remained in front until the ASU battled back to tie the score 13-13. From there, the Sun Devils seemed to have taken charge, as they pulled ahead and took an 18-14 lead. The Wildcats would not give up, though, as they answered with a 6-0 run to regain the lead, 20-18. This time, the lead would hold, as Arizona pulled away to win the final set 25-21 and clinch the match. The Wildcats came up big defensively in the frame, posting four blocks and holding the Sun Devils to .055 hitting.
Macey Gardner led ASU charge with a match-high 23 kills to go with 17 digs. BreElle Bailey had 19 kills and Whitney Follette added 12. Bianca Arellano dished out a match-high 55 assists to go with 22 digs, and Stephanie Preach led the defense with a team-high 30 digs.
With the loss, ASU dropped to 19-13 on the year and 8-12 in conference.
