#11 WASHINGTON 3, #25 ARIZONA 0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-20)
Thursday, November 10 | 9 p.m. MST
Recap | Box Score

#25 ARIZONA (16-11, 8-7 Pac-12) at WASHINGTON STATE (17-9, 7-7 Pac-12)
Sunday, November 13 | 12 p.m. MST
Pac-12 Networks | Live Stats | Live Updates | Arizona Notes | Washington State Notes
 

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CATS AT A GLANCE

• Fourteen matches into the Pac-12 season, Arizona finds itself two games out of first place in the conference, despite never checking into the AVCA Top 25 until this week. With three weeks until the NCAA Tournament selection, the Wildcats continue to see their RPI rise. The Cats check in at No. 24 in this week's rankings. Only six teams in the country have more than Arizona's seven RPI Top 50 victories.
• Arizona has played 13 matches vs. ranked opponents this season. After starting the year 0-5 vs. ranked competition, the Cats have won six of their last eight vs. ranked opponents. Those six wins, all in the last five weeks, vs. ranked teams are the most in a season since 2005 for Arizona. After the Cats take on Washington on Thursday, it will complete a stretch of 12 matches in which Arizona will play 10 ranked opponents; such is life in the Pac-12.
• Much of the reason Arizona has turned things around can be traced to its health. Arizona's top three scorers (Kendra Dahlke - concussion; Kalei Mau - dislocated shoulder & slipped disc; Katarina Pilepic - broken finger) have all missed extended time this year. The trio have been in the starting lineup together just 13 times this season, including the last 10 matches.
• Penina Snuka was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week last week after posting 5.12 digs/set in Arizona's two victories. Snuka posted her eighth and ninth straight double-doubles in the two matches, her 17th and 18th overall. She is now tied for the Pac-12 lead in double-doubles, vying to go 4-for-4 leading the Pac-12 in her four years at Arizona.
• Arizona led the Pac-12 in digs in each of the last three seasons and, after a slow start in that department, are getting back to their "bread and butter." Arizona's 78 digs vs. UCLA on Friday were the fourth most in the NCAA this season in a three-set match. The Cats are second in the conference in digs (16.03/set), but in the last five matches, UA is averaging over 18 digs/set.
• Kendra Dahlke and Kalei Mau are both in the top five in the Pac-12 in kills, making them the best offensive duo in the Pac-12. Dahlke is second in the conference with 4.07 kills/set and Mau is fifth with 3.84 kills/set. Oregon State is the only other team in the conference with two in the top 10.
• Arizona's success this season can be traced to where it all starts: serve and pass. In Arizona's 16 wins, UA is averaging 1.48 aces/set while in losses, the Cats are averaging just 0.85 per set. Additionally, in losses the Cats have allowed 1.23 aces/set compared to just 0.71/set in victories. Arizona has 94 service errors in its 10 losses.
• Arizona's opponents (future and past matches) have a combined record of 328-181 (.644), making the Wildcats' schedule the eighth hardest in the country.
• Kendra Dahlke is enjoying a breakout campaign in her sophomore year. After averaging 1.57 kills/set as a freshman with four double-digit kill matches, Dahlke leads the Wildcats with 4.07 kills/set and has had 10-or-more kills in 22 of the 24 matches she has played in. Dahkle is second in the Pac-12 in kills.
• Earlier this season, Penina Snuka became the fifth player in school history to surpass the 4,000 career assist plateau, and has since moved into third in Wildcat history with 4,804. Now, Snuka will turn her sites on the 5,000-assist club, where on only one other Wildcat resides: Dana Burkholder (5,424 career assists).
• 2016 marks the 25th season as the head coach of the Wildcats for Dave Rubio, the conference's active leader victories as a Pac-10/12 coach (475). In 2016, the team will celebrate his quarter century of excellence, which includes a 2000 Pac-10 championship and a trip to the 2001 Final Four.
• After finishing second-to-last in the Pac-12 in aces/set a year ago (0.85/set), the Wildcats are second in the conference in aces 11 weeks into 2016 (1.22/set). Penina Snuka, who had never averaged more than 0.2 aces/set in her career, leads the team and is fifth in the Pac-12 with 0.29 aces/set.

 
THIS WEEK: Freshly-ranked Arizona (16-10, 8-6 Pac-12) checked into the AVCA Top 25 for the first time this year after completing the season sweep of USC and UCLA last week. The 25th-ranked Wildcats head to No. 11 Washington and Washington State this week with revenge on the brain. Just three spots separate the Pac-12 leaders from the eighth-placed Cougars. Against the other seven teams in the top eight, Arizona is 6-3 this season; two of those losses were to Washington and Washington State. With just three weeks until Selection Sunday, the RPI becomes of growing significance, thus this week represents a big opportunity for the Wildcats. UA, which is 24th in this week's RPI, has road matches vs. RPI No. 13 (Washington) and RPI No. 44 (Washington State)
 
The Cats and Huskies meet Thursday at 9 p.m. while Arizona faces Washington State on Sunday at 12 p.m. MST. Both matches will be live on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
OPPONENTS
Washington: The 11th-ranked Huskies (20-4, 10-4 Pac-12) have split their last two weekends, including two straight-set losses to ranked opponents ... Setter Bailey Tanner leads the Pac-12 in assists/set (10.69) while Crissy Jones is second in the conference in aces (0.35/set) ... The Huskies are a very well-rounded team - they are in the top half of every category in the Pac-12.
 
Washington State: The Cougars (17-9, 7-7 Pac-12) are reeling, having dropped seven of their last nine matches, including four straight ... WSU dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time in several weeks after dropping home matches to Oregon State and Oregon last week ... Still, Washington State has one of the defenses in the country - its 3.33 blocks per set are second in the country and its .158 opponent hitting percentage is first in the Pac-12.
 
RANKINGS: For the first time this season, Arizona cracked the AVCA Top 25 this week, checking in at No. 25. UA is 24th in this week's NCAA RPI.
 
SETTING THE TONE: All-conference setter Penina Snuka has excelled in her three-plus seasons as the Wildcats' setter. Snuka has been an honorable mention All-American each of the last two seasons. Snuka has led the Pac-12 in double-doubles in each of her three seasons at Arizona (2013 - 19, 2014 - 25, 2015 - 22) and has 18 in 2016, tied for first in the conference. Snuka is currently third in Arizona history with 4,804 assists and is Arizona's top digging setter (second overall) with 1,525 digs.
 
CAN YOU DIG IT? After leading the conference in digs each of the last three years, Arizona is second this year, averaging 16.04 digs/set. Laura Larson is seventh in the league, averaging 3.90 digs/set. The senior has double-digit digs in 38 of Arizona's last 41 matches.
 
WHAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP? After averaging 1.57 kills/set as a part-time player in 2015, Kendra Dahlke has burst onto the scene in a big way as a sophomore. Dahlke leads Arizona with 4.07 kills/set and has had double-digit kills in 22 of the 24 matches she has played in. In 2015, she had four total double-digit kill efforts. Dahlke is second in the Pac-12 in kills/set (4.07) and third in points/set (4.52).
 
PUTTING THE TEAM ON HER BACK: In the 51 matches that Kalei Mau has played in since the start of 2015, she has led the team (or tied for the team lead) in kills in 37 of those matches. Mau's 12 20-plus kill matches in that span rank sixth in a career in Arizona history.
 
ACE IN THE HOLE: Arizona is second in the Pac-12 with 1.22 aces after finishing in the bottom third of the conference each of the last three years. The Wildcats' 120 aces are 16 more than their 2015 total in seven fewer matches. Six Wildcats have double digit aces: Penina Snuka (28), Laura Larson (17), Makenna Martin (15), Reilly Killeen (14), Kalei Mau (12) and Katarina Pilepic (11).
 
PERFECT 10: Arizona's 2016 recruiting class was ranked as the 10th best class in the country by PrepVolleyball.com. The Cats have seven freshmen, including two top-100 recruits (#60 Shardonee Hayes & #67 Julia Patterson).
 
A CLASS OF THEIR OWN: Arizona's senior class has won 79 matches, with the opportunity to become the winningest class in over a decade. Should the 2016 team win two more matches, it will make the senior class the winningest in Arizona history since the 2003 class won 90. These seniors are trying to become Arizona's first to make four NCAA Tournament appearances since the 2005 class capped off Arizona's run of 10 straight NCAA Tournaments.
 
FOLLOW THE CATS: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Arizona volleyball team on its various social media accounts to keep up with the Cats all season long.
 
Twitter: @ArizonaVBall
Instagram: @ArizonaVBall
YouTube: Arizona Volleyball
 
UP NEXT: Arizona hosts Stanford and Cal in the first of three straight home matches in the last two weeks of the regular season. The Cat Cats host Cal on Friday, Nov. 18 and Stanford on Sunday, Nov. 20.