By
Kamy Shaygan
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The streak is over.
Despite forcing a fifth and decisive game, the Arizona women's volleyball team snapped a 14-game winning streak last night as it lost to UCLA in a thriller at McKale Center.
The No. 6 Wildcats (14-2 overall, 7-1 Pacific-10 Conference) were defeated by the No. 10 Bruins (11-5, 6-2) in five games, 15-13, 15-17, 15-17, 15-8, and 16-14.
"At time it was high-level volleyball, and at times it wasn't," Arizona head coach David Rubio said. "We're a team that hasn't really been tested like I've always said. In my own mind, I know that our deficiencies are there and we were wining with those deficiencies."
Although the Wildcats were defeated, they had an opportunity to take the Bruins, forcing a match point ,14-13, in the final game.
"That should have been the game right there," Rubio said.
"I thought we battled well, but I don't think we played very well," junior setter Dana Burkholder said.
Burkholder, who posted her third career triple-double, finished with a team-high 67 assists, along with 15 kills and 22 digs. Despite her triple double, Burkholder was not pleased with her performance.
"I didn't give very good location (on my sets)," Burkholder said. "I kind of credit that loss to myself."
Along with Burkholder, four other Wildcats - seniors Allison Napier and Marisa DaLee, junior Jill Talbot, and sophomore Lisa Rutledge - finished with double digit kills. Napier finished with a team-high 29 kills along with 21 digs.
Despite finishing with 13 kills, Rutledge finished with a paltry .063 attacking percentage.
"Lisa had a rough night, but she battled," Rubio said. "She didn't have a great night, but mentally she did some nice things."
Talbot, who finished with 13 kills, posted a team high 25 digs along with four assists.
The Bruins were lead by their star - junior outside hitter Kristee Porter -who finished the match with game highs in both kills, 35, and digs, 26.
Last night marked the fifth time this season in which Porter finished a match with at least 30 kills.
Directing traffic for the Bruins was junior Erika Selsor, who finished with a game high 77 assists and 14 digs.
Although UA had a heartbreaking loss, Rubio is looking beyond the loss to tonight's match against No. 4 USC at McKale Center.
"Win or lose, we have the best team in the conference coming in town," Rubio said.
Tonight's match against the Trojans starts at 8 p.m. before 'Midnight Madness' and will most likely bring out the largest crowd of the season.
UA sophomore middle blocker Stefani Saragosa has much dislike towards USC.
"Now there is a team you don't want to lose to," Saragosa said. "There is definitely a raw spot (pointing at her heart) in here for USC."
The Wildcats split 1999's season series against the Trojans, 1-1. After defeating Southern California on the road, the Wildcats fell to the Trojans at McKale Center last season.
"Last year, we beat them at their house," Saragosa said. "They didn't like that much saying it was this, or that. We come here, they beat us, and then they trash us in our own paper and talk nothing but bad.
"You never hear a UCLA team with their coaches and players talking bad like that. You just don't do that in somebody else's house."
