The Arizona Wildcats upset seventh-ranked Stanford Friday night in McKale Center, earning their first win of the volleyball season following four consecutive losses.
Arizona's 25-17, 25-16, 26-14 win over the defending national champions was the program's first win over the Cardinal in Tucson since 2005.Β
The UA finished with 38 kills and 13 attack errors on 84 total attempts (.298), while Stanford finished with 25 kills and 20 attack errors on 86 attempts (.058).
"It feels really good to beat Stanford," UA senior Paige Whipple said. "It's the first time we beat them in my four years here. So that's really exciting. ... it doesn't happen that often for us."
Whipple said the win "shows a lot of resiliency" for a UA squad that was swept at Utah and at home against Washington to start the season.
Sophomore Kamalie Hiapo agreed.
"It shows that we have a lot of grit," she said. "I think it shows a lot about us and our insides. You don't only see our talent, but now you see the hard work and all the countless hours of just mental and physical training that pays off in these types of wins."
Outside hitter Sofia Maldonado Diaz, the reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, led the Wildcats with 11 kills and nine digs. Whipple and Jaelyn Hodge combined for 15 kills on 36 attempts. Freshman setter Emery Herman posted a game-high 24 assists, bringing her season total to 131.Β
Stanford was making its 2021 debut after canceling its first four scheduled matches because of COVID-19-related issues. The Cardinal had just nine days of indoor practice leading up to Friday's match, according to the Stanford Daily. Before that, the Daily reported, Cardinal trained outside on plastic courts in order to comply with Santa Clara County regulations.
Arizona coach Dave Rubio said Friday that he sympathized with Cardinal coach Kevin Hambly.
"We certainly take the win β anytime you can beat Stanford, it's always a good day," he said.Β
That said, "Stanford was really depleted," Rubio said. "They have a lot of kids that are out, they haven't been practicing. I mean, (Hambly) had every reason not to play this weekend, and I certainly wouldn't have blamed him and admired the fact that they came in with a small squad."
The Wildcats (1-4) and Cardinal (0-1) will play again Sunday at 11 a.m.
β Freelancer PJ Brown contributed to this report.
