TUCSON, Ariz.—Following a successful showing at the Malibu Invite, the Sand Cats are on the road again, headed to Tempe, Arizona for the Pac-12 South Invitational on March 8-10. This tournament will be the first time in the regular season that the Cats will face Pac-12 opponents.
 
Arizona went 3-0 at the Malibu Invite this past weekend, defeating Vanguard 5-0 and Boise State and Pepperdine 3-2. In Tempe, the Wildcats will face Utah and Washington on Friday, March 8 and USC and ASU on Sunday, March 10.
 
Pac-12 South Invitational Match Ups
 
Utah- The Wildcats are 8-0 against the Utes and have won seven of the eight matchups between the two teams 5-0.
 
Washington- Arizona leads the series against Washington 9-2. The Huskies are 3-5 this season and are placed at No. 14 in this week's AVCA Collegiate Beach Coaches poll.
 
USC- The Wildcats have an 0-12 record against the Trojans but look to secure their first win against USC this weekend following a strong performance at the Cactus Classic and the Malibu Invite. USC is currently 8-2 and has been ranked No. 3 in the AVCA poll for the past two weeks.
 
ASU- The Wildcats are 17-7 against their in-state rivals. The last time the two teams met, in April 2023 at the Pac-12 tournament, Arizona defeated ASU 3-1. This week, ASU is ranked No. 10 in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Coaches poll.
 
Pac-12 South Invitational full match schedule:
 
Friday, March 8:
 
MATCH 1- Washington vs. Utah (8:00 a.m.)
MATCH 2- UCLA vs. ASU (10:00 a.m.)
MATCH 3- Arizona vs. Utah (12:00 p.m.)
MATCH 4- Stanford vs. UCLA (2:00 p.m.)
MATCH 5: Washington vs. Arizona (4:00 p.m.)
MATCH 6: Stanford vs. ASU (6:00 p.m.)
 
Sunday, March 10:
 
MATCH 1- Cal vs. Oregon (8:00 a.m.)
MATCH 2- Cal vs. ASU (10:00 a.m.)
MATCH 3- Arizona vs. USC (12:00 p.m.)
MATCH 4- USC vs. Oregon (2:00 p.m.)
MATCH 5: Arizona vs. ASU (4:00 p.m.)
 
Fans can follow along with live stats for each of the tournament's matches.

NOTING THE WILDCATS
 
The Wildcats are ranked No. 19 this week in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Coaches poll following an undefeated finish at the Malibu Invite last weekend.

Steve Walker is in his 11^th season as a coach for the Wildcats. Walker has a career record of 187-82 (.695) at Arizona. Named the 2016 Pac-12 Beach Volleyball Coach of the Year, Walker led Arizona to the first NCAA Beach Volleyball Championship in 2016.

At No. 1, pair Hope Shannon/Grace Cook are 4-3 on the season. Hope Shannon is 54-32 in her career at Arizona, ranking 13^th in Arizona Beach Volleyball history for career wins.
 
Grace Cook joined the Arizona roster last season after transferring from Missouri St., where she was the all-time individual career wins leader with 39. In her career at Arizona, Cook is 25-14.
 
Pair Abby Russell/Olivia McElroy are undefeated in the 2024 season. Last weekend at the Malibu Invite, the pair went 3-0 against Vanguard, Boise State and Pepperdine.
 
Senior Abby Russell is in her fourth year with the Sand Cats and has a career record of 49-29. These wins in the 2024 season have moved her to No. 14 in Arizona's individual career wins ranking.

Olivia McElroy is 7-0 in her first season with the Wildcats. Prior to her career at Arizona, McElroy was named to the 4A All-State team as a senior and was All-Lake Player of the Year.

Pair Kylee Fitzsimmons/Annie Kost are 6-1 at No. 3 this season, with their only loss taking place against CSU Bakersfield in the Cactus Classic. In four of Arizona's last five duals, the pair has been responsible for securing the clinching point for the Wildcats.
 
Pair Miranda Erro/Ashlyn Zilliken are 4-2 this season at No. 5. Miranda Erro is 23-13 in her career with the Wildcats.

In her first season with the Sand Cats, freshman Ashlynn Zilliken is 5-2.

Freshman pair Jess Horwath and Kate Phillips have also had a strong start to their careers as Wildcats, going 6-1 in their first two tournaments. The pair have won their last three matches.

Next week, the Sand Cats will return home to host the Arizona Duals.