WEEK 13 (NOV. 20-22): USC, UCLA // McKale Center
| #23 ARIZONA WILDCATS (17-12, 7-10) | #1 USC Trojans (28-1, 16-1) | #11 UCLA Bruins (22-5, 13-4) |
| Schedule | Schedule | Schedule |
| Roster | Roster | Roster |
| Statistics | Statistics | Statistics |
| Match Notes | Match Notes | Match Notes |
#1 USC 3, #23 ARIZONA 1 (25-14, 25-22, 22-25, 25-20)
Recap // Box Score // Photo Gallery
#23 ARIZONA VS. #11 UCLA
Date: Sunday, Nov. 22
Time: 12:00 p.m. MST
Location: Tucson, Ariz. (McKale Center)
Stream: pac-12.com/videos/university-arizona
Live Stats: arizonalivestats.com
Live Updates: Twitter (@ArizonaVBall)
*Sunday parking note: despite the parking signage for Men's Basketball later that evening, you CAN park in surface lots, metered spots, and in Cherry Garage. Please disregard those signs and park as you normally would for a weekend match. Enforcement will not occur until AFTER the volleyball match has concluded.
THIS WEEK: A pair of top-11 teams come to town this weekend as No. 23 Arizona (17-11, 7-9 Pac-12) hosts top-ranked USC (27-1, 15-1 Pac-12) and 11th-ranked UCLA (21-5, 12-4 Pac-12). The Wildcats, coming off a split vs. Utah (win) and Colorado (loss), host the Trojans on Friday at 6 p.m. before taking on the Bruins on Sunday at noon. While the opponents present a daunting task, this weekend represents a golden opportunity for the Wildcats, ranked No. 50 in the RPI, to pick up a marquee win, the only thing Arizona's NCAA Tournament resume is lacking. As detailed below, Arizona's season vs. the nation's top-ranked teams has been an oh-so-close story, one that the team can flip the narrative on with a win or two this weekend.
QUICK HITS
· After beginning the season 8-0 for the fifth time in school history, Arizona has gone 9-11 in the 20 matches since, but has faced 10 top-20 teams, including seven top-10 clubs, in that span.
· UA is 17-2 against teams ranked outside of the AVCA top 15 and 0-9 against top-15 teams. UA's only two losses outside the top 15 are to Colorado, which seems to be a puzzle the Cats can't solve. Arizona is 33-1 against unranked opponents not named Colorado. And 0-4 vs. the Buffs.
· UA's 0-9 mark against the top teams in the country does not properly showcase the competitiveness of the matches. Arizona has taken nine sets off top-15 teams and has taken seven additional sets to deuce. Arizona is just 1-7 in those sets decided by two points in the nine losses. Despite losing all nine of the matches, Arizona is only being outscored by a total of 2.5 points per set in the losses (846-756 in 36 sets).
· Thirty-eight of Arizona's 104 sets have been decided by three points or fewer. Arizona is .500 in those sets (19-19). The Cats are 42-24 (.636) in sets decided by four or more points.
· Kalei Mau, who averaged 1.27 kills/set in 2014, has 18 or more kills in 11 of Arizona's last 21 matches, including eight 20-plus-kill efforts. Her 4.33 kills/set are third in the conference.
· Halli Amaro became the seventh player in Arizona history to reach 400 total blocks last weekend vs. Colorado. She has 401, 14 away from sixth in Arizona history.
· Penina Snuka is the only player in the Pac-12 with more than 1,100 assists (1,119) and is tied for the conference lead in double-doubles (17). Snuka led the Pac-12 in double-doubles last year with 25.
· Fifteen of Arizona's 28 opponents have hit under .160 this season, including seven under .100. Arizona is holding Pac-12 opponents to a .204 hitting percentage, fourth best in the conference.
· With four regular season matches remaining, the Wildcats are three wins away from their third straight 20-win season, something Arizona hasn't accomplished since 2000-2002. Prior to recording 21 (2013) and 24 (2014) wins each of the last two seasons, Arizona reached 20 victories just once in the previous seven seasons (2010; 20).
· Arizona's 62 victories (and counting) are the most in a three-year span since 2001-2003 (also 62).
· Halli Amaro, Arizona's lone four-year senior, has just three matches in McKale Center left in her career. Amaro has won 78 matches, making her one of the winningest players in Arizona history.
· Despite losing its top three scorers from a season ago, including All-American Madi Kingdon who is second in school history in kills, Arizona has rebounded remarkably and is tied for the most kills in the Pac-12 (1,450).
· Coinciding with the arrival of assistant coach Gregg Whitis, who works mainly with Arizona's defensive specialists, Arizona's defense has been historic the last two seasons and looks to be picking up right where it left off. UA posted its top two digs/set figures in school history each of the last two years, leading the Pac-12 with 17.87 digs/set in 2014, breaking the school record of 17.42 digs/set in 2013. Through 28 matches this year, UA leads the conference with 1,627 digs.
· All-conference setter Penina Snuka is currently second in the Pac-12 in assists/set (10.76). What makes this even more impressive is that she leads Arizona with 3.23 digs/set, taking her away from more than three assist opportunities every game. The junior ranks fifth in Arizona history with 3,549 assists and is one away from breaking into the top 10 in digs with 1,128.
· McKenzie Jacobson was in on 11 of Arizona's season-high-tying 16 blocks at Cal (11/1), a career high and the 11th-most blocks by an individual in a four-set match this season in the NCAA. They are the sixth most total blocks in a four-set match in Arizona history.
· Libero Laura Larson has 11 consecutive double-digit-dig matches after posting double-digit digs in just seven of Arizona's first 17 matches.
· When Arizona meets USC on Friday, it will be in search of its third victory over a No. 1 team in program history. Arizona's last victory over a top-ranked team came when Arizona beat No. 1 USC in three sets in McKale Center on Oct. 20, 2013. UA is 2-15 against No. 1 teams all-time.
OPPONENTS
USC: The Trojans (27-1, 15-1 Pac-12) returned to No. 1 in the AVCA Top 25 with five straight victories after suffering their only loss of the season to current No. 2 team Washington. The Trojans have dropped just 16 sets all season (including one to Arizona in the first matchup), and none since Nov. 6 vs. Colorado. USC leads the conference in kills (14.95/set) and service aces (1.55/set) much thanks to Sam Bricio (5.07 kills/set, .292 hitting, 0.74 aces/set, 2.65 digs/set, 0.74 blocks/set), who leads the conference in both categories. In addition to its stellar offense, USC also claims perhaps the Pac-12's best defense; the Trojans are first in digs (16.77/set), second in opponent hitting percentage (.154) and fifth in blocks (2.64).
Series History: The Trojans own a decisive 59-18 advantage in the all-time series, including a four-set victory in Los Angeles in the first meeting between the two this season (full recap on page 5).
UCLA: The 11th-ranked Bruins (21-5, 12-4 Pac-12) fell out of the top 10 after a home loss to Oregon last week, but bounced back with a four-set win over Oregon State to put itself tied for third in the Pac-12 with Stanford. UCLA is led by Jordan Anderson (4.72 kills/set, .238 hitting) and daughter of former Wildcat basketball star Jed Buechler, Reily Buechler (3.41 kills/set, 2.26 digs/set).
Series History: The Bruins have dominated the series 55-23-1, but it has been closely contested lately, with Arizona taking five of the last eight meetings (UCLA was a top-five team for three of Arizona's four victories). UCLA swept Arizona in Westwood earlier this season (full recap on page 5).
HEAD COACH DAVE RUBIO: The winningest active volleyball coach in the Pac-12, Dave Rubio is in his 24th season at the helm of the Arizona volleyball program. Rubio has led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in 17 of his 23 seasons as the head coach, including five of the last six seasons. Rubio, who guided the 2000 club to a Pac-10 title and the 2001 squad to the Final Four, holds a 457-274 (.625) all-time record at Arizona.
RANKINGS: Arizona fell to No. 23 in the AVCA Top 25. The Wildcats have been ranked as high as 13 this season (week 2). Arizona has not been ranked higher than 13th since finishing the 2005 season seventh. UA was 17th in the preseason rankings its highest preseason ranking since an identical ranking of 17th heading into the 2005 season. Arizona is one of six Pac-12 teams in the poll. Arizona has been in 28 consecutive polls, dating back week 1 of last year, and had 24 straight top-20 rankings prior to this week. Arizona finished 2014 ranked 16th.
SCORE IN FOUR: Whether up 2-1 or down 1-2, the fourth set has proven to be imperative to determining the victor in matches that go past three sets. Arizona is 6-1 when winning the fourth set and just 2-7 when losing it. Here is the breakdown of Arizona's record when winning or losing each set:
Winning Set 1: 15-3 Losing Set 1: 2-8
Winning Set 2: 13-4 Losing Set 2: 4-7
Winning Set 3: 15-2 Losing Set 3: 3-9
Winning Set 4: 6-1 Losing Set 4: 2-7
Winning Set 5: 2-0 Losing Set 5: 0-2
SETTING THE TONE: All-conference setter Penina Snuka has excelled in her two-plus seasons as the Wildcats' setter and will be the key piece in Arizona's success in 2015. Snuka was an honorable mention All-American a season ago when she totaled 1,234 assists (10.82/set) as well as 453 digs, third in Arizona history. Snuka led the Pac-12 in double-doubles in 2014 with 25. After just two seasons, Snuka is already fifth in Arizona history with 3,549 assists and moving quickly up the digs chart. Snuka is just one dig away from cracking the Arizona top 10 and 38 digs away from recording the most digs from a setter in school history.
CAN YOU DIG IT? Arizona has excelled the last two years, posting the two best dig/set totals in school history, including a school record 17.87 last season. Laura Larson returns after spending the summer as the starting libero for Team USA in the World University Games. Arizona also welcomes three transfers (Anna Panagiotakopoulos - West Virginia, McKenna Painton - Cal State Fullerton and Mackenzie Kleespies - James Madison) all of whom were the primary liberos at their previous schools. UA has led the conference in digs each of the last two seasons.
Arizona posted the seventh-highest dig total in school history when it dug 112 balls in the season-opener vs. SMU. Five of the top 11 dig totals in Arizona history have come since the start of the 2014 season. Kalei Mau notched 31 of those digs to be named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. Mau's 31 digs are tied for fifth in Arizona history. In school history, there have been 10 30-plus dig matches, five of which have come since the start of the 2013 season.
FRESH FACES: When Arizona takes the court there will be plenty of new faces for fans to learn. Two-thirds of Arizona's roster (12 of 18) is made up of players that will see their first action for Arizona in 2015. This includes seven freshmen, four transfers and a redshirt freshman. Arizona's eight-player recruiting class is ranked 14th nationally and includes four top-100 recruits: Sarah Dixon (30), Tyler Spriggs (37), Kendra Dahlke (49) and Meghan Buzzerio (95). The four transfers should play an even greater role as they each bring an invaluable resource to the team: experience. UA welcomes honorable mention All-American Nikki Attea from West Virginia as well as the Mountaineer's primary libero Anna Panagiotakopoulos. Additionally the Cats welcome Mackenzie Kleespies from James Madison and McKenna Painton from Cal State Fullerton, both of whom served as the libero at their previous schools.
GLASS HONORED: Arizona alum Kim Glass (2002-05) was honored by the Pac-12 as she was selected to the conference's volleyball All-Century Team. Glass was one of 16 players selected to the team. The 2002 Pac-10 and National Freshman of the Year is Arizona's all-time leader in kills (2,151) and owns three of the top four season kill totals in Arizona history including a record 650 in 2003. Glass had 54 matches with 20 or more kills in her career, nearly double the second highest total in school history (Barb Bell – 30). She is the only Wildcat to have her jersey retired in McKale. Glass went on to help lead Team USA to a silver medal in the 2008 Olympics.
SWEET 16: PrepVolleyball.com ranked the Top 25 Division I Volleyball programs of all time, ranking Arizona 16th siting the 18 seasons Arizona has finished in the Top 25, including last year. This ranking is a credit to the work that head coach Dave Rubio has put in during his 23-plus years as the head coach at Arizona. Though there has always been high quality volleyball at Arizona, Rubio has taken things to a new level. Rubio took over a program that won four total tournament games in history and equaled that total within his first three years. In all, volleyball has been to 26 NCAA Tournaments, including five of the last six and 17 total under Rubio. Arizona has been to seven Sweet 16s, four Elite 8s and advanced to the 2001 Final Four. Arizona finished in the top five in five seasons, including a high of No. 4 in 2001.
A NEW LOOK: The Wildcats lose several key contributors from the 2014 club that will need to be replaced in 2015. In addition to the graduation of five key seniors, the Cats will also be without outside hitter Ashley Harris, who is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. Harris, All-American Madi Kingdon and Taylor Arizobal were Arizona's primary scoring options last season, and all are gone now. UA also lost starting libero Ronni Lewis and key role players MB Rachel Rhoades and DS Kennedy Wesley.
Though the Wildcats lose a significant amount of offense, all-conference setter Penina Snuka will have plenty of options to set this season, a majority of whom are in their first season with the program. UA welcomes three freshmen outside hitters, all of whom were top-100 recruits - Kendra Dahlke, Tyler Spriggs and Meghan Buzzerio. Additionally, the Cats welcome honorable mention All-American Nikki Attea from West Virginia for her senior season. Attea totaled 292 kills on .269 hitting in 2014. Junior outside hitter Kalei Mau, who saw limited action as a sophomore, will play a large role as well.
NEW DIGS: Historic McKale Center received a roughly-$30 million facelift prior to the 2014 season. The first phase of the multi-phase renovation included brand new seats in the arena, a new court, a new state-of-the-art video board, new LED screens around the arena, upgraded concessions and bathrooms in the concourse and a new locker room complete with a lounge area and kitchenette. Head coach Dave Rubio said of the facility, “Our goal was to have the nicest, most state-of-the-art locker room in the country. I think, thanks to our administration, that is exactly what we got. It's pretty exciting and beautiful.”
ALONG FOR THE RIDE: Follow the Arizona volleyball team on its various social media accounts to keep up with the Cats all season long.
Twitter: @ArizonaVBall
Instagram: @ArizonaVBall
YouTube: Arizona Volleyball
UP NEXT: The final week of the regular season will see Arizona travel to Oregon State on Wednesday, Nov. 25 before hosting No. 23 Arizona State on Friday, Nov. 27.