Sept. 30, 2011

Final Stats |  Notes

BERKELEY - The comforts of home served the No. 4 California volleyball team well Friday night, when the Golden Bears swept Arizona, 3-0, at Haas Pavilion. After dropping a pair of road matches last week, Cal did not miss a beat, keeping its home record flawless at 11-0 with the three-set win (25-21, 25-19, 25-21).

With the victory in hand, the Bears improved to 14-2 overall and 4-2 in the Pac-12 while the visiting Wildcats now stand at 10-4 and 2-3 in conference play.

Overall, the Bears hit .355 - the highest attacking percentage since the 3-0 sweep of Georgetown on Sept. 10. Shannon Hawari hit a match-best .500 (13k, 2e, 22att). Christina Higgins was not far behind, swinging .450 (11k, 2e, 20att). Hawari and Tarah Murreynotched 13 kills apiece with Higgins contributing 11.

There were 10 ties in set one before the Bears unleashed on the Wildcats in set two - in which they hit .519. Though they hit .205 in set three, the Bears completely controlled the lead throughout the final stanza.

Three different Bears had double-digit digs - Murrey with 12, Elly Barrett with 11 and Robin Rostratter with 10. The Bears out blocked the Wildcats thanks in no small part to four block assists by Kat Brownand three from Murrey.

Madison Kingdon carried the Wildcats with 12 kills (1e, 31att, .355). Curtsy Jackson and Courtney Karst also added in eight kills.

Set One - Cal 25, Arizona 21:

Things were tied six times before the Bears built a slight cushion at 9-7, which would not last long. The Wildcats went on a 5-1run to pull ahead by as many as four at 16-12. Back-to-back kills from Christina Higgins and Shannon Hawari thwarted Arizona's progress to bring the Bears within two at 16-14. A cross-court kill from Hawari cut the Wildcats lead to just one, prompting an Arizona timeout, after which Higgins knotted things at 17. A dump by Elly Barrett prompted the ninth tie of the match, 19-19. A kill from Tarah Murrey pushed the Bears ahead, 20-19, giving Cal its first lead since the scoreboard read 10-9. Robin Rostrattertallied her sixth service ace of the year, further solidifying Cal's lead at 23-20.

• Five of Tarah Murrey's team-high six kills came for the last six points of the set

• Elly Barrettdished out 19 assists

• Cal's 20 kills were just one shy of a season high for kills in a set

Set Two - Cal 25, Arizona 19:

The Bears opened on a 4-1 run before the Wildcats came back to tie things at 4-4 and 6-6. Unfortunately for Arizona, those would be the only two ties of the set, for the Bears surged ahead and never looked back. With a kill from Hawari, one from Higgins and three by Murrey, the Bears earned themselves a 14-11 lead. Correy Johnson and Kat Brownissued a double stuff, bringing the score to 17-13. From there, the Wildcats rattled off three unanswered points to stay close to the Bears. A pair of junior class kills - one by Hawari and another by Johnson - gave Cal some breathing room at 19-16. The Wildcats mustered a pair of two-point spurts, but it was too little too late, and the Bears earned themselves the 25-19 victory.

Set Two Highlights:

• The Bears were firing on absolutely all cylinders with Shannon Hawari, Christina Higgins and Tarah Murreyall notching four kills apiece

• Hawari and Higgins both hit .800 with four kills in five attempts

• With the exception of the two score ties, the Bears led for the entirety of the match

Set Three - Cal 25, Arizona 21:

Elly Barrett opened the set with a solo block and then teamed with Kat Brown on a block to build a 2-0 lead. After the Wildcats came within one at 3-2, Cal kept Arizona at arm's length by at least two points. The Bears earned a five-point lead at 9-4 thanks to an attack error by Marketa Hanzlova. Kat Brownlaced a kill to up Cal's lead to 17-12. An authoritative kill by Hawari - her 10th of the match - put the Bears up, 21-15. A Murrey kill followed by one from Brown closed the set and the match, 25-21.

Set Three Highlights:

• The Bears spread their 15 kills around with Hawari amassing a team-best four

• Correy Johnson, Murrey and Higgins all contributed three kills

What's Next:

Things conclude Oct. 1 against the Sun Devils of Arizona State (4-9, 0-4) at 7 p.m. In the last meeting with ASU, the Sun Devils emerged victoriously with a 3-2 win at Haas Pavilion. Following the match, the Bears will be available for autographs.