No. 13 Arizona Falls to Fifth-Ranked Washington

SEATTLE, Wash. – No. 13 Arizona volleyball, which spent the majority of the match without the services of setter and reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week Penina Snuka, who injured her knee early in the first set, fell to fifth-ranked Washington in straight sets on Friday night (20-25, 17-25, 19-25).

Junior Whitney Hunt was solid in place of Snuka, but the Wildcats struggled defensively without the Gilbert, Ariz., native, who averaged over four digs per set entering the match. Washington hit .346 in the match while UA managed just a .174 hitting percentage in the match. Hunt finished with 31 assists.

UA (21-8, 10-7 Pac-12) was led by Madi Kingdon's 17 kills. Kingdon's night marked the 106th double-digit-kill match in her career, setting a new Arizona record. The senior also added 12 digs for her fifth consecutive double-double.

The Cats were outblocked 7.0-2.0 and outdug 51-45 in the match.

In the first set, the Wildcats hung with the Huskies valiantly, closing to within one at 19-18, but let the set get away at the end, allowing Washington to finish the game on a 6-2 run to win 25-20.

Arizona came out swinging in the second set, opening up an 8-5 run in the set before the Huskies ripped off a 10-2 run to take control of the set. UW went on to win the frame 25-17.

Similar to the second, Arizona opened an early lead in the third. UA led 12-9 before the Huskies went on an 8-1 run and never looked back. The Huskies won the third 25-19.

Arizona is back in action on Saturday night when UA takes on Washington State in Pullman. The game is set to begin at 7 p.m. PT.

For more information on Arizona volleyball, visit ArizonaWildcats.com and be sure to follow the team on Twitter (@ArizonaVBall).