UA volleyball gets weekend sweep

The No. 19 Wildcats defeated the Ducks (6-9, 1-4) 7-15, 15-10, 15-4, 15-6 in Eugene, Ore., yesterday afternoon, led by freshman outside hitter Jill Talbot, who hit .857.

It was Arizona's 12th consecutive win over Oregon and it moved the Wildcats into sole possession of second place behind Stanford in the Pac-10.

Arizona hit .353 as a team against Oregon, while the Ducks managed only a .095 mark.

Junior outside hitter Raelene Elam hit .393 with a team-high 14 kills while sophomore middle-blocker Maris DaLee hit .500.

The win followed a victory over Oregon State (10-5, 0-4) Friday night in Corvallis. Arizona hit .340 in the 15-1, 13-15, 15-1, 15-12 win.

Yesterday's hitting percentage was the Wildcats' second highest in team history, trailing only a .421 mark at Pittsburgh in 1984. Friday's mark was the third highest.

Elam hit a career-best .531 against OSU while senior middle-blocker Keisha Johnson Demps matched a career-high with 20 kills. Other stars for Arizona included DaLee, who hit .480 and freshman setter Dana Burkholder, who tied her season-best total of 63 assists, followed by 46 yesterday against Oregon.

Arizona returns home to face UCLA this Friday night at 7 in McKale Center.