ARIZONA 3, CALIFORNIA 1 (19-25, 25-23, 27-25, 25-19)
Friday, November 18 | 4:30 p.m. MST
Recap | Box Score | Highlights

ARIZONA (17-12, 9-8 Pac-12) vs. #12 STANFORD (18-7, 12-5 Pac-12)
Sunday, November 20 | 12 p.m. MST
Pac-12 Networks | Live Stats | Live Updates | Arizona Notes | Stanford Notes | Tickets
 

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CATS AT A GLANCE

• Despite a tough weekend in the Evergreen state, Arizona is still in good position with two weeks remaining in the regular season due to some terrific accomplishments earlier in the season.
• With less than two weeks to go until Selection Sunday, Arizona's RPI sits at No. 26. The Cats are 7-9 vs. RPI top 50 teams. Only 10 teams in the country have more than Arizona's seven RPI Top 50 victories.
• Arizona has played 14 matches vs. ranked opponents this season. After starting the year 0-5 vs. ranked competition, the Cats have won six of their last nine vs. ranked opponents. Those six wins, all in the last six weeks, vs. ranked teams are the most in a season since 2005 for Arizona. Arizona recently completed a stretch of 12 matches in which it played 10 ranked opponents; such is life in the Pac-12.
• Much of the reason Arizona has turned things around can be traced to its health. Arizona's top three scorers (Kendra Dahlke - concussion; Kalei Mau - dislocated shoulder & slipped disc; Katarina Pilepic - broken finger) have all missed extended time this year. The trio have been in the starting lineup together just 15 times this season, including the last 12 matches.
• Penina Snuka, the week 11 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, is tied for the Pac-12 lead in double-doubles (19). The senior has led the conference in double-doubles in each of her three seasons at Arizona and is trying to make it a perfect 4-for-4. Snuka has double-doubles in 10 of Arizona's last 11 matches.
• Arizona led the Pac-12 in digs in each of the last three seasons and, after a slow start in that department, are getting back to their "bread and butter." Arizona's 78 digs vs. UCLA last Friday were the fourth most in the NCAA this season in a three-set match. The Cats are third in the conference in digs (15.97/set), but in the last seven matches, UA is averaging nearly 18 digs/set.
• Kendra Dahlke and Kalei Mau are both in the top four in the Pac-12 in kills, making them the best offensive duo in the Pac-12. Dahlke is third in the conference with 3.99 kills/set and Mau is fourth with 3.98 kills/set. Oregon State is the only other team in the conference with two in the top 10.
• Arizona's success this season can be traced to where it all starts: serve and pass. In Arizona's 16 wins, UA is averaging 1.48 aces/set while in losses, the Cats are averaging just 0.88 per set. Additionally, in losses the Cats have allowed 1.17 aces/set compared to just 0.71/set in victories. Arizona has 108 service errors in its 12 losses.
• Arizona's opponents (future and past matches) have a combined record of 384-2100 (.646), making the Wildcats' schedule the sixth hardest in the country.
• Kendra Dahlke is enjoying a breakout campaign in her sophomore year. After averaging 1.57 kills/set as a freshman with four double-digit kill matches, Dahlke leads the Wildcats with 3.98 kills/set and has had 10-or-more kills in 23 of the 26 matches she has played in. Dahkle is third in the Pac-12 in kills.
• Earlier this season, Penina Snuka became the fifth player in school history to surpass the 4,000 career assist plateau, and has since moved into third in Wildcat history with 4,898. Now, Snuka will turn her sights on the 5,000-assist club, where on only one other Wildcat resides: Dana Burkholder (5,424 career assists).
• 2016 marks the 25th season as the head coach of the Wildcats for Dave Rubio, the conference's active leader victories as a Pac-10/12 coach (475). In 2016, the team will celebrate his quarter century of excellence, which includes a 2000 Pac-10 championship and a trip to the 2001 Final Four.
• After finishing second-to-last in the Pac-12 in aces/set a year ago (0.85/set), the Wildcats are third in the conference in aces 12 weeks into 2016 (1.21/set). Penina Snuka, who had never averaged more than 0.2 aces/set in her career, leads the team and is fifth in the Pac-12 with 0.28 aces/set.

 
THIS WEEK: Two weeks remain in the 2016 regular season for Arizona (16-12, 8-8 Pac-12), which hosts No. 12 Stanford and California this weekend at McKale. The schedule sets up for a potential big finish for the Wildcats, who are at home for three of the final four matches of the season, beginning this weekend. The Cats, who split with the Cardinal and Bears on the road earlier this season, will look to get back to their winning ways after an 0-2 weekend at Washington and Washington State last time out. Cal and Stanford come to town with their seasons going in opposite directions; while the Bears, who Arizona faces on Friday, have lost seven of eight matches since beating UA on October 16, Stanford is 7-2 since losing to the Cats on October 15. The Cardinal has ascended to No. 12 in this week's AVCA ranking.
 
The Cats and Golden Bears meet Friday at 4:30 p.m. while Arizona faces Stanford on Sunday at 12 p.m. MST on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
OPPONENTS
California: The Golden Bears (9-17, 3-13 Pac-12) come to Tucson having dropped four consecutive matches in straight sets ... Cal is led by Christine Alftin, who averages 2.90 kills/set ... Setter Alyssa Jensen is third in the Pac-12, averaging 10.47 assists/set.
 
Stanford: The Cardinal (17-7, 11-5 Pac-12) comes to Arizona just one game out of first place in the Pac-12, looking to keep pace with Washington and UCLA, who sit at 12-4 in Pac-12 play ... Following an inauspicious start to league play, Stanford has won seven of nine matches since losing to Arizona, with the only two losses in that span coming to ninth-ranked UCLA ... Stanford is second in the conference in hitting percentage (.266), much thanks to Inky Ajanaku, who averages 2.66 kills/set on .387 hitting.
 
RANKINGS: Following a one-week appearance in the AVCA Top 25, the Cats fell out of the poll this week, but continue to receive votes.
 
SETTING THE TONE: All-conference setter Penina Snuka has excelled in her three-plus seasons as the Wildcats' setter. Snuka has been an honorable mention All-American each of the last two seasons. Snuka has led the Pac-12 in double-doubles in each of her three seasons at Arizona (2013 - 19, 2014 - 25, 2015 - 22) and has 19 in 2016, tied for first in the conference. Snuka is currently third in Arizona history with 4,898 assists and is Arizona's top digging setter (second overall) with 1,539 digs.
 
CAN YOU DIG IT? After leading the conference in digs each of the last three years, Arizona is third this year, averaging 15.97 digs/set. Laura Larson is seventh in the league, averaging 3.93 digs/set. The senior has double-digit digs in 40 of Arizona's last 43 matches. Larson's 418 digs this season rank sixth in a season in Arizona history. Candace Nicholson's record 512 in 2013 is in striking distance for Larson, potentially depending on an NCAA Tournament run.
 
WHAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP? After averaging 1.57 kills/set as a part-time player in 2015, Kendra Dahlke has burst onto the scene in a big way as a sophomore. Dahlke leads Arizona with 3.99 kills/set and has had double-digit kills in 23 of the 26 matches she has played in. In 2015, she had four total double-digit kill efforts. Dahlke is third in the Pac-12 in kills/set (3.99) and third in points/set (4.43).
 
PUTTING THE TEAM ON HER BACK: In the 53 matches that Kalei Mau has played in since the start of 2015, she has led the team (or tied for the team lead) in kills in 39 of those matches. Mau's 13 20-plus kill matches in that span rank sixth in a career in Arizona history.
 
ACE IN THE HOLE: Arizona is third in the Pac-12 with 1.21 aces after finishing in the bottom third of the conference each of the last three years. The Wildcats' 128 aces are 24 more than their 2015 total in five fewer matches. Seven Wildcats have double digit aces: Penina Snuka (30), Laura Larson (19), Makenna Martin (15), Reilly Killeen (14), Kalei Mau (14), Katarina Pilepic (11) and Kendra Dahlke (11).
 
PERFECT 10: Arizona's 2016 recruiting class was ranked as the 10th best class in the country by PrepVolleyball.com. The Cats have seven freshmen, including two top-100 recruits (#60 Shardonee Hayes & #67 Julia Patterson).
 
A CLASS OF THEIR OWN: Arizona's senior class has won 79 matches, with the opportunity to become the winningest class in over a decade. Should the 2016 team win two more matches, it will make the senior class the winningest in Arizona history since the 2003 class won 90. These seniors are trying to become Arizona's first to make four NCAA Tournament appearances since the 2005 class capped off Arizona's run of 10 straight NCAA Tournaments.
 
FOLLOW THE CATS: Get a behind-the-scenes look at 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: Arizona will host Utah next Wednesday (Nov. 23) for its Senior night before closing out the regular season at Arizona State on Saturday (Nov. 26). The Cats and the rest of the country will find out their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday (Nov. 27) when the NCAA announces the NCAA Tournament field.