TUCSON - The Arizona volleyball team concluded its sweep of the Bulter Invitational with a pair of wins on Saturday in Indianapolis. UA defeated Loyola Chicago in four sets before sweeping Butler to close out its 3-0 weekend. UA now takes its 8-4 record into Pac-12 play beginning with Arizona State on Wednesday in McKale.

Match 1: ARIZONA 3, LOYOLA CHICAGO 1 (25-10, 14-25, 26-24, 25-17)

Kendra Dahlke posted career highs in kills (21) and digs (16), leading Arizona to a four-set victory over Loyola Chicago Saturday's morning match in Indianapolis (25-10, 14-25, 26-24, 25-17).

The Cats and the Ramblers split a pair of noncompetitive sets to open the match as UA dominated set 1, 25-10 only to have Loyola Chicago respond with a 25-14 victory in set 2. LCU was two points away from taking a 2-1 lead with a 23-20 lead in the third, only to have Arizona steal the third set and then runaway with the match.

Sophomores Dahlke (.333 hitting) and Tyler Spriggs (10 kills, .348 hitting) were very efficient for the Cats, who hit .264 as a team. The match was the first career 20-plus kill effort for Dahlke and the first time in double digits this year for Spriggs. 

The Cats were outblocked 10-2 in the match. UA had 21 attack errors, its most in a victory this year.

Arizona's offense kept it rolling in the first set from its Friday match vs. Northern Kentucky in which it put up the fifth-highest hitting percentage in school history (.484). Arizona hit .583 in the first set vs. Loyola Chicago on its way to a 25-10 opening-frame win.

Loyola Chicago responded with a dominant second set, holding Arizona to .030 hitting in a 25-14 victory to even the match.

The teams battled in the third, with Arizona breaking away for a rare two-point lead in the frame, 19-17. However, Loyola Chicago responded with six of the next seven points to bring the Ramblers to the brink of taking the third set, 23-20. Arizona responded with a 6-1 run of its own, stealing the set 26-24.

Arizona came out firing on all cylinders in the fourth, scoring eight of the first 10 points before the Ramblers roared back. Loyola Chicago cut Arizona's lead to 1 at 12-11. Arizona would slowly break away though, winning the fourth 25-17 to win the match.


Match 2: ARIZONA 3, BUTLER 0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-21)

Arizona concluded its sweep of the Butler Invitational with a straight-set victory over the host Bulldogs (25-16, 25-22, 25-21).

Penina Snuka had 31 assists and 10 digs, her sixth double-double of the seaon. Snuka added three aces, a block and four kills, one off her season high. 

Kendra Dahlke once again led the Wildcats in kills (13) while adding six digs, a block and an assist. Katarina Pilepic recorded a season-high 11 kills, doing so on .304 hitting. 

The offense as a whole posted 44 kills on .234 hitting without senior Kalei Mau, who did not play.

Arizona's offense was red-hot, posting 16 kills on .452 hitting in the first set as Arizona cruised to a 25-16 victory in the opener. Kendra Dahlke led the way with seven kills on .385 hitting while penina Snuka had a dozen dimes and four digs.

The Wildcats ended the second set on an 11-5 run, erasing a Butler lead to win the second set 25-22.

The Cats closed out the match with a 25-21 win in the third.