THIS WEEK:
The No. 23 Arizona volleyball team (11-7, 3-5) hosts Arizona State (8-9, 3-5) at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 22. Live video streaming and live stats of this and every home match are available at www.arizonaathletics.com.
A QUICK LOOK AT ARIZONA:
The Wildcats went 1-1 last week with a three-game sweep (30-18, 30-22, 30-19) of Washington State on Friday night and a 3-1 loss (28-30, 22-30, 30-26, 24-30) to No. 1 Washington last Saturday.
On the season, Arizona is led by junior Kim Glass, who averages 4.93 kills, 2.86 digs and 0.90 blocks per game. Junior Jennifer Abernathy adds 3.83 kills and 2.37 digs per game, while sophomore Meghan Cumpston averages 3.66 kills and 2.40 digs per game. Setter Stephanie Butkus is averaging 11.70 assists per game, while libero Kelli Mulvany averages 3.05 digs per game.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:
The Sun Devils were swept (21-30, 22-30, 16-30) by Northern Arizona Tuesday night. Last weekend, ASU went 1-1, being swept by Washington and taking a five-game win over Washington State.
Arizona State is led by Nicole Morton, who averages 3.72 kills per game. Colette Meek boasts a team-high 1.30 blocks per game average, while setter Rachel Mittelstaedt dishes out 10.11 assists per game. Sydney Donahue leads the team in digs with 4.32 per game.
SERIES SHORTS:
Arizona is 32-33 all-time against the Sun Devils. The last time the two teams met, on Oct. 25, 2003, the Wildcats defeated Arizona State 3-0 in Tucson. Arizona is 16-12 at home, 11-19 away and 5-2 at a neutral site vs. the Sun Devils.
USA Today/CSTV Coaches Poll Oct. 18, 2004
Rank School Total 2004 Last
(1st-place Votes) Points Record Week
1 Washington (63) 1,623 15-0 1
2 Minnesota 1,508 18-2 2
3 Hawai’i (2) 1,480 16-0 3
4 Nebraska 1,429 15-1 4
5 Penn State 1,359 16-1 5
6 USC 1,304 10-3 6
7 Ohio State 1,285 18-0 8
8 Florida 1,145 16-2 10
9 Colorado State 989 14-2 7
10 Texas 941 16-1 9
11 Stanford 939 14-4 12
12 UCLA 928 11-5 11
13 California 808 10-6 13
14 Utah 733 15-2 18
15 Saint Mary’s 607 16-2 14
16 Texas A&M 595 10-5 20
17 Tennessee 579 18-1 17
18 Kansas State 561 12-6 16
19 Santa Clara 449 12-4 15
20 UC Santa Barbara 436 12-3 19
21 Louisville 324 16-2 21
22 San Diego 284 12-4 25
23 Arizona 229 11-7 22
24 Illinois 161 13-4 23
25 Florida A&M 159 16-2 24
Others receiving points and listed on two or more ballots: Rice 78, Ohio 60, Missouri 33,
Georgia Tech 29, Loyola Marymount 20, Long Beach State 19, Wichita State 11, Pacific 9,
UC Irvine 6.
Pac-10 Standings Pac-10 Overall
W-L Pct. W-L Pct.
Washington 7-0 1.000 15-0 1.000
Stanford 6-1 .857 14-4 .777
USC 5-2 .714 10-3 .769
California 5-2 .714 10-6 .625
UCLA 4-3 .571 11-5 .688
Arizona 3-5 .375 11-7 .611
Arizona State 3-5 .375 8-9 .471
Oregon State 2-5 .286 8-8 .500
Oregon 1-6 .143 9-8 .529
Washington State 0-7 .000 3-17 .150
POLL FACTS:
Arizona has been ranked in the Top 25 in 95 of the last 104 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches Polls. The nine-week lapse occurred last year.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES:
Junior Jennifer Abernathy leads the Wildcats with seven double-doubles this season, while junior Kim Glass and sophomores Stephanie Butkus and Meghan Cumpston have five apiece. Junior Bre Ladd has one.
REACHING MILESTONES:
Sophomore setter Stephanie Butkus recorded her 2,000th career assist vs. Washington last Saturday. She now ranks sixth all-time at Arizona in career assists, becoming just the sixth player ever to surpass the 2,000 assist plateau. Senior Cassidy Crum recorded her 350th career dig against Washington on Oct. 16. Junior Kim Glass notched her 700th career dig vs. Washington last Saturday. Junior Bre Ladd recorded her 300th career block against the Huskies.
CLOSING IN:
Sophomore Kristina Baum is nine kills away from 300 on her career, while setter Stephanie Butkus is 17 kills away from 150 and seven digs away from 300 on her career. Senior Cassidy Crum is one assist away from 50 on her career, while sophomore Meghan Cumpston is four digs away from 150 on her career. Junior Kim Glass is one kill away from 1,350 and 27 blocks away from 200 on her career, and senior Jolene Killough is 14 kills away from 400 on her career.
RANKING IN THE PAC-10:
Junior Jennifer Abernathy ranks 10th in the Pac-10 in kills per game, while sophomore setter Stephanie Butkus ranks fifth in assists per game. Senior Jolene Killough is eighth and sophomore Kristina Baum is 10th in hitting percentage. Meanwhile, junior Bre Ladd is eighth and freshman Dominique Lamb is 10th in blocks per game.
As a team, the Wildcats rank in the top half of the conference in kills, hitting percentage, blocks and opponent hitting percentage.
BUTKUS ENTERS ELITE STATUS:
Against Washington last Saturday, sophomore setter Stephanie Butkus became just the sixth Wildcat ever to eclipse the 2,000-assist mark. She now has 2,006 on her career and at her current pace would finish her career in second-place all-time behind Dana Burkholder, who recorded 5,424 assists on her career.
GLASS’ STREAKS:
Junior Kim Glass has several remarkable streaks during her career. She has at least three kills and three digs in each of the last 47 matches and 71 of 72 on her career. What’s more, she has recorded double-digit kills in all but seven (65 of 72) matches during her three-year career.
BLOCKING MACHINE:
Junior Bre Ladd has been a consistent defensive threat at the net ever since she arrived on campus in the fall of 2002. The middle blocker has at least one block in 78 of 82 career matches, including 19 in a row, dating back to last season.
MULVANY DIGGING IT UP:
Senior Kelli Mulvany has been a steady defensive player for the Wildcats this season. She has reached double-digit digs 11 times on the season and has led the team in digs in 11 times, including seven of the eight Pac-10 matches. She is currently four digs away from sixth place all-time at Arizona.
WILDCATS RANK NATIONALLY IN ATTENDANCE:
Arizona currently ranks 12th nationally in home attendance with an average of 1,647 over seven matches. Last Friday, 5,275 people watched Arizona sweep Washington State, making it the 16th highest attended match in the nation this season.
RUBIO APPROACHING ARIZONA WINS RECORD:
Head Coach David Rubio currently has 245 wins in his 13 seasons at the helm. He needs just 14 more to become the winningest coach in Arizona volleyball history. Rosie Wegrich, who coached from 1977-1991, compiled 258 wins in 15 seasons for an average of 17 per year.
NEXT UP:
Arizona travels to Southern California for matches at USC and UCLA. The Wildcats face the Trojans at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, and the Bruins at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30.
