EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Arizona defeated ninth-seeded Michigan State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to punch its ticket to the Sweet 16 on Saturday night in MSU's Jenison Field House in East Lansing, Michigan.
 
Arizona and Michigan State battled for five nail-biting sets, with the Cats prevailing in the decisive fifth set (17-25, 25-16, 25-19, 24-26, 15-10).
 
"I was really proud of the way we played," said head coach Dave Rubio. "It was an unbelievable match. Both sides were terrific. Michigan State gave us everything we could handle. In the first set, we were getting annihilated, and for us to be able to recover from that was tough for us."
 
The Wildcats advanced to their eight Sweet 16 in program history and first since 2005.
 
Arizona hit .311 on 151 attempts on the night. Michigan State was similarly impressive, posting a .252 hitting percentage in the match. Kalei Mau (23 kills, .321 hitting) and Kendra Dahlke (22 kills, .314 hitting) were spectacular for the Wildcats.
 
The Cats outblocked the Spartans 12.0-7.5. Devyn Cross led the way with six blocks while Katarina Pilepic and McKenzie Jacobson had four apiece.
 
Penina Snuka (57 assists, 15 digs), Dahlke (22 kills, 16 digs) and Mau (23 kills, 10 digs) all posted doubled for the Wildcats. For Snuka, it was her 22nd of the season, tying Adora Anae for the Pac-12-lead. Because Anae's Utah Utes were eliminated from the tournament, it is very likely Snuka, the Pac-12 Setter of the Year, will lead – or tie for the lead – in double-doubles all four years in the conference.

The victory sets up an all-Pac-12 showdown in the Sweet 16. The Cats will meet eighth-seeded Washington in Lincoln, Nebraska on Friday, Dec. 9 at 12:30 p.m. MST. The match will be streamed on ESPN3.
 
After little separation early in the first set, Michigan State went on an 8-1 run to turn a one point lead into an eight-point lead as the Spartans hit a blistering .429 on their way to a 25-17 first-set victory.
 
The Wildcats responded in dominant fashion in the second set. The Cats hit .538 in the second set, led by seven kills on 10 errorless Kendra Dahlke swings, as UA evened the match with a 25-16 victory.
 
Arizona brought its block party to the third set, dominating at the net on its way to a 25-19 victory in the third. Arizona had five blocks, including four Devyn Cross, as the Cats led the majority of the way in a 25-19 victory.
 
In a fourth-set slugfest, the teams went back-and-forth, with neither team leading by more than three points. Arizona could not convert a set point at 24-23 and Michigan State scored the final three points to win 26-24.
 
Arizona opened the fifth set by scoring six of the first seven points. UA withstood a Michigan State run the brought the Spartans to within two. Arizona won the fifth, 15-10.
 
UP NEXT:  Arizona advances to the Sweet 16, which will take place in Lincoln, Nebraska on Friday, Dec. 9. The Cats will meet eighth-seeded Washington at 12:30 p.m. MST with the match streamed on ESPN3.
 
FOLLOW THE CATS: For continued coverage of Arizona volleyball, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram (@ArizonaVBall).