THE GAMES (Times MST)
1 | Friday, Oct. 27 (6 p.m.) |
3,
0 (25-16, 26-15, 25-13) |
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Highlights |
Photo Gallery
2 | Sunday, Oct. 29 (1 p.m.) |
vs.
| Tucson, Ariz. (McKale Center) |
Pac-12 Arizona/Bay Area |
Live Stats |
Twitter Updates |
Tickets
WEEKLY NOTES
ARIZONA BEGINS SECOND HALF OF PAC-12 PLAY VS. CAL AND STANFORD AT HOME
Arizona volleyball (8-11, 2-8 Pac-12) is set to begin the second half of Pac-12 play this week at home. The Cats will host California (12-9, 3-7 Pac-12) and second-ranked Stanford (17-2, 10-0 Pac-12) this week at McKale Center. UA will face the Golden Bears on Friday and the Cardinal on Sunday in a pair of matches televised by the Pac-12 Networks. UA will look to end its four-match losing streak when the Bay Area schools come to town. It will need to reverse its fortunes from week 2 of conference play, when Stanford (3-0) and California (3-2) swept the Wildcats in northern California.
SERIES HISTORY
- California holds a 40-24 advantage in the all-time series between the two teams. The home team has won the last three meetings in the series; Cal defeated Arizona in five sets in Berkeley earlier this year, holding off a furious Wildcat rally after Cal had won the first two sets.
- Stanford has won 66 of the 74 total meetings between the two clubs. Entering 2016, the Cardinal had won 19 consecutive meetings before the Wildcats upset the eventual national champions in Palo Alto (25-21, 28-26, 25-27, 25-21) to end the 11-year drought. The Cardinal have won the two meetings since then, including a sweep earlier this year in Palo Alto (25-21, 25-21, 25-7).
COACHES
- Arizona head coach Dave Rubio is in his 26th season with the Wildcats. The conference's active leader in wins a Pac-12 coach, Rubio is 487-302 at UA.
- Matt McShane is in his first year as head coach at California.
- Stanford head coach Kevin Hambly is in his first season in Palo Alto.
CATS AT A GLANCE
- In Arizona's 19 matches this year, the Wildcats have used 12 different lineups. The Wildcats have used the same lineup in the last three matches (Denny, Patterson, Dahlke, Whipple, Cross, Shelton) after a stretch of five straight matches with five different lineups.
- Freshman Candice Denny is fourth in the Pac-12 with a .351 hitting percentage. She's hitting .370 in conference play.
- Julia Patterson had a career-high 58 assists last time the Wildcats played Cal. Only two other players in the conference have had more in one match this year. The first-year starter is fifth in Pac-12, averaging 10.32 assists per set. Patterson has nine double-doubles this year, two off the Pac-12 lead.
- Arizona has had double-digit blocks in 12 of its 19 matches (63%) this year. UA had 10-or-more blocks in just 15 total matches last season (43%).
- Freshmen and sophomores account for 56% of Arizona's kills (515-of-919), 92% of Arizona's assists (786-of-851), 62% of Arizona's digs (630-of-1,019) and 64% of Arizona's blocks.
- When leading its opponent in hitting percentage, Arizona is 8-0. When trailing, the Wildcats are 0-11.
OPPONENTS
California (12-9, 3-7 Pac-12)
- Cal split last weekend's action, defeating Washington State (3-1) and falling to Washington (0-3) in Berkeley. The victory over the Cougars ended a four-match losing streak.
- Antzela Dempi leads the Pac-12 in service aces (0.50/set) and leads Cal, averaging 2.91 kills/set.
#2 Stanford (17-2, 10-0 Pac-12)
- The defending champs have won 12 straight, including all 10 Pac-12 matches this season. They downed No. 14 Washington (3-2) and Washington State (3-0) last week in Palo Alto.
- Stanford leads the league in hitting percentage (.297) while limiting opponents to a .173 hitting percentage, also the best in the league.
RANKINGS
- Arizona did not receive votes in this week's AVCA Top 25.
- Arizona was ranked 24th in the preseason top 25, marking Arizona's 314th week in the AVCA Top 25, dating back to 1982. That's 10th-most among all schools in Division I.
- The Pac-12 has six teams in the Top 25: No. 2 Stanford, No. 12 Utah, No. 13 UCLA, No. 14 Washington, No. 15 Oregon and No. 19 USC. Colorado and Oregon State are receiving votes.
- UA is 1-4 this season vs. ranked opponents.
SPREADING THE LOVE
- Eight Wildcats average more than kill per set, tied for the most of any team in the conference.
- UA has 10 players with at least 30 kills on the year, also tied for the most of any team in the league. The other 11 teams have an average of seven players with more than 30 kills on the year.
- Five different Wildcats have led Arizona in kills in a match this year. That already equals UA's total from 2016.
DAHLKE'S RESURGENCE
- After struggling out of the gates this season, Kendra Dahlke is returning to form in conference play, helping reshape Arizona's offense. In nine nonconference matches, Dahlke had just 61 kills and was hitting .100. In 10 Pac-12 matches, Dahlke has 134 kills and is just outside the top-10 in the Pac-12 in kills/set in conference matches (3.53).
- Dahlke is coming off a breakout campaign in 2016, a season in which she averaged 3.95 kills and 4.35 points per set. Those figures ranked fourth and sixth in the Pac-12, up from 1.57 kills and 1.72 points per set as a freshman in 2015.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
- This season, sophomore setter Julia Patterson is tasked with replacing All-American Penina Snuka, the 2016 Pac-12 Setter of the Year. So far, so good. Patterson is averaging 10.32 assists/set, fifth most in the Pac-12, and 2.47 digs/set.
- As the understudy of the best digging setter in UA history, Patterson must have picked up a thing or two. Snuka led the Pac-12 in double-doubles all four seasons as UA. Patterson is two off the Pac-12 lead with nine double-doubles this year.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS
- Recently, Arizona's starting lineup has featured a trio of freshmen hitters. Paige Whipple (OH), Elizabeth Shelton (OPP) and Candice Denny (MB).
- The three are third, fourth and fifth on the team in kills/set this season: (Whipple - 2.45, Shelton - 2.16, Denny - 1.50).
- Candice Denny is hitting .351 this season, fourth best in the Pac-12.
RUBIO AND STAFF RECRUITING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
WILD KITTENS
- Arizona has eight freshmen, five sophomores, three juniors and just three seniors. Arizona's 13 underclassmen are the most in the Pac-12.
- Through graduation/transfer, Arizona lost six players who combined for 737 total sets played in 2016. The nine returners combined for 550 sets last season and 946 for their entire careers.
CAN YOU DIG IT?
- Over the last four seasons, much of Arizona's identity has been its backrow defense. UA led the Pac-12 in digs/set from 2013-15 and finished third in 2016 (15.67).
- However, four of the six players that averaged more than a dig per set last season graduated, including libero Laura Larson and setter Penina Snuka, two of the top five diggers in UA history.
- This season, UA is averaging 14.15 digs/set (seventh in the Pac-12) led by libero Kimberly Gutierrez's 2.79 digs/set.
GOING STREAKING
- With Arizona's sweep of #15 USC this season, UA extended a streak of now seven straight seasons in which the Wildcats have upset either USC or UCLA while they were ranked. (2016 - #22, #25 USC & #18, #9 UCLA; 2015 - #11 UCLA; 2014 - #20 UCLA; 2013 - #1 USC; 2012 - #5 UCLA; 2011 - #2 UCLA twice).
UP NEXT
- The Cats head to UCLA (Friday) and USC (Sunday) to open the month of November next week.
