TUCSON, Ariz. – The No. 14 Wildcats will host the Pac-12 South Invitational this weekend at Bear Down Beach. Arizona will take the sand on Saturday, March 2 to face USC at 11:30 a.m. (MST) and Oregon at 5:45 p.m. (MST) They will return on Sunday morning to take on Stanford at 11:30 (MST).  All matches are free to attend, and fans are encouraged to come out and support. You can also follow the games live stats at ArizonaLiveStats.com. 

"This looks to be a very fun weekend of highly competitive Pac-12 beach volleyball", said head coach Steve Walker." Eight out of the nine schools that sponsor the sport will be on campus."
 
Please allow extra time to navigate campus as University of Arizona will host the Tucson Festival of Books and campus will be congested. Parking in any UA surface lots, UA metered parking, and parking garages north of Speedway will be free of charge. However, parking in Cherry Avenue Garage, South Stadium Garage, Sixth Street Garage, Tyndall Avenue and Main Gate garages, will be $5.
 
Serving Up the Facts
Arizona is currently ranked No. 12 in the DiG poll and No. 14 in AVCA. These results rolled in after the Cats finished last weekend 3-0 in the Cactus Classic. They made their season premiere with back-to-back matches against Colorado Mesa and Benedictine (at Mesa), and came out on top with two 5-0 wins. The Cats closed out the weekend with a close 3-2 victory against Boise State.  
 
Natalie Anselmo will go compete in her second Pac-12 South Invitational this weekend. The Southern California native is on her junior season with the Cats. Anselmo finished her freshman career 9-3 on the #5 team, and completed her sophomore season 16-12 competing on the #1 and #2 team.
 
SandCats Standouts
Returning players Jonny Baham and Brooke Burling went 3-0 as pair throughout the Cactus Classic. Baham is on her second year the Cats, completing her freshman season 24-8 at the number three, four, and five positions. Burling is on her junior season, totaling a 38-20 career at Arizona, competing at the number two, three, four, and five position.
 
Ainise Havili and Dana Parker also went 3-0 in the tournament. This was the pairs first time officially competing for the Cats as Havili is a grad transfer from Kansas, and Parker is a freshman.
 
Jasmine Safar and Sarah Blacker were also in the 3-0 group this weekend for their season debuts. The freshman pair came in clutch against Boise State as their three-set match broke the 2-2 tie to earn Arizona its 3-2 victory over the Broncos.
 
Setting Up the Weekend
The Cats will kick off the weekend against USC this Saturday. The last time the two teams met in 2018, the Cats fell to the Trojans 1-4 in the Pac-12 South Invitational, with the pair of Baham and Burling to earn the lone victory. Their second match of the tournament will be up against the Ducks, who conceded to Arizona by a score of 5-0 the last time the two schools met in 2015.
 
Arizona will close out the tournament on Sunday against Stanford. The last time the two programs met was in 2018, when the Cats lost 1-4 at the Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Championship in Palo Alto, Calif.

"I think every coach is preaching the same things at this point in the season; that we simply concern ourselves with our own side of the net and worry less about who we are playing." Walker adds. "We are no different. We need to continue to sure up the things we are deficient in and simply play to our strengths, while embracing the competition on this weekend and every weekend ahead."
 
The full schedule of the Pac-12 Invitational is shown below:
 
Pac-12 South Invitational
 
Saturday March, 2nd
 
ASU vs. No. 1 UCLA (9:00 a.m.)
 
No. 11 California vs. Washington (10:15 a.m.)
 
No. 14 Arizona vs. No. 2 USC (11:30 a.m.)
 
No. 12 Stanford vs. Oregon (12:45 p.m.)
 
Washington vs. No. 1 UCLA (2:00 p.m.)
 
No. 12 Stanford vs. No. 2 USC (3:15 p.m.)
 
No. 11 California vs. ASU (4:30 p.m.)
 
No. 14 Arizona vs. Oregon (5:45 p.m.)  
 
 
Sunday March 3^rd
 
Oregon vs. No. 2 USC (9:00 a.m.)
 
No. 11 California vs. No. 1 UCLA (10:15 a.m.)
 
No. 14 Arizona vs. No. 12 Stanford (11:30 a.m.)
 
Washington vs. ASU (12:45 p.m.)
 
 
 
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