TUCSON – Arizona's Kalei Mau and McKenzie Jacobson have been selected to the Pac-12 All-Star Team which will compete in China this summer. Additionally, Arizona assistant coach Rita Stubbs will serve as an assistant on the team while UA athletic trainer Emily Johnson will accompany the team to China.
“This will be a great opportunity for both Kalei and McKenzie,” said head coach Dave Rubio. “The chance to get international competition is rare. This trip will be about more than volleyball for them.”
Eleven of the 12 Pac-12 schools will be represented in the tour, with Arizona the only school to send multiple players. Including Stubbs and Johnson, UA's four representatives are the most of any school.
The team will practice in Los Angeles prior to heading overseas for its China tour. It will make stops in Shanghai, Nanjing and Beijing from June 21-July 1 and will compete in about six matches along the way. In addition to the competition, the student-athletes will enjoy cultural and sightseeing visits in China.
This will be Stubbs' second trip to China with the All-Star team; she accompanied Penina Snuka on the 2014 trip. Arizona alum Madi Kingdon was on the inaugural roster in 2013.
"Anytime you get to play against a higher level it allows for growth in players," said Stubbs. "Kalei and Mac will gain more reps and opportunity to grow as players. The travel and the grind while being expected to play at the highest level will be advantageous for both players."
Mau is coming off a terrific junior season with the Wildcats in which she was an all-conference and all-region performer. She finished third in the Pac-12 with 4.33 kills/set. Her 489 kills this season are ninth in Arizona history while her 27 matches with double-digit kills are sixth. Mau had 18-or-more kills in 14 of her last 24 matches, including eight 20-plus-kill matches.
Jacobson finished her redshirt sophomore year second on the team with a .271 hitting percentage on a career-high 458 total swings. She appeared in every set this season for Arizona and finished second with 0.90 blocks/set.
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