WEEKLY NOTES
CATS BEGIN THREE-MATCH ROAD TRIP THIS WEEKEND
Just four matches remain in the 2017 season for the Wildcats (10-15, 4-12 Pac-12), the first three of which will occur on the road, beginning this week with a pair of 19-8 teams. UA is set to face Colorado (19-8, 9-7 Pac-12) and No. 17 Utah (19-8, 10-6 Pac-12) this weekend in the penultimate week of the season. The Cats will look to bring momentum with them to the Mountain schools gained in a five-set thriller over No. 16 Oregon on Sunday in which the Wildcats came back from an 0-2 hole to down the Ducks in five sets. Arizona will look to avenge a pair of hard-fought losses to Utah (1-3) and Colorado (2-3) back in October in McKale Center. The Cats will meet the Buffaloes on Friday at 6 p.m. and the Utes on Saturday at 7 p.m. MST in the final two non-televised contests of the season.
SERIES HISTORY
- CU has won seven of the 12 all-time meetings, with Colorado's seven victories coming all in the last five years, in which Colorado is 7-1. Colorado defeated Arizona on Oct. 15 in Tucson in four sets (26-28, 25-21, 25-14, 23-25, 15-10).
- Arizona has won 24 of the 30 all-time meetings between the Wildcats and Utes. Utah's four-set win over the Wildcats in Tucson on Oct. 13 (25-18, 25-23, 23-25, 25-23) ended a streak of six straight Wildcat wins in the series.
COACHES
- Arizona head coach Dave Rubio is in his 26th season with the Wildcats. The conference's active leader in wins a Pac-12 coach, Rubio is 489-306 at UA.
- Utah head coach Beth Launiere is 540-344 in 28 seasons at Utah.
- Jesse Mahoney is 33-24 at Colorado, where he is in his second year.
CATS AT A GLANCE
- In Arizona's 25 matches this year, the Wildcats have used 16 different lineups, including nine different lineups in their last 13 matches.
- Since she took over as the team's primary libero on Oct. 1, Makenna Marin is averaging 3.67 digs/set. That figure would rank top-10 in Arizona history for digs/set in a season and top-10 in the Pac-12. Martin has had four straight matches with at least 12 digs, including a career-high 22 vs. Oregon on Sunday.
- Arizona has four freshmen with 60 or-more kills this season (Paige Whipple - 177, Elizabeth Shelton - 162, Candice Denny - 87 and Katie Smoot - 67) for the first time in school history.
- Freshmen and sophomores account for 53% of Arizona's kills (641-of-1,201), 92% of Arizona's assists (1,024-of-1,112), 63% of Arizona's digs (813-of-1,301) and 64% of Arizona's blocks.
OPPONENTS
Colorado (19-8, 9-7 Pac-12)
- Colorado dropped a pair of matches in Los Angeles last week, ending a four-match winning streak for the Buffaloes.
- CU is the only team in the league with two players in the top 10 in kills/set: Alexa Smith (6th - 3.93) and Frankie Shebby (8th - 3.42).
#17 Utah (19-8, 10-6 Pac-12)
- The fourth-place Utes have lost five of their last seven, but are coming off a four-set win at No. 18 UCLA on Saturday.
- Utah leads the Pac-12 in kills/set (14.45), led by Adora Anae's 4.31.
RANKINGS
- Arizona did not receive votes in this week's AVCA Top 25.
- Arizona was ranked 24th in the preseason top 25, marking Arizona's 314th week in the AVCA Top 25, dating back to 1982. That's 10th-most among all schools in Division I.
- The Pac-12 has six teams in the Top 25: No. 4 Stanford, No. 10 Washington, No. 14 USC, No. 17 Utah, No. 18 UCLA and No. 20 Oregon. Oregon State and Colorado are receiving votes.
- UA is 2-7 this season vs. ranked opponents.
SPREADING THE LOVE
- Eight different Wildcats average more than one kill per set, tied for the most of any team in the conference.
- UA has 10 players with at least 50 kills on the year, also the most of any team in the league. The other 11 teams have an average of six players with more than 30 kills on the year.
- Six different Wildcats have led Arizona in kills in a match this year.
DAHLKE'S RESURGENCE
- After struggling out of the gates this season, Kendra Dahlke is returning to form in conference play, helping reshape Arizona's offense. In nine nonconference matches, Dahlke had just 61 kills and was hitting .100. In 15 Pac-12 matches, Dahlke has 219 kills (including a career-high 23 vs. Oregon on Sunday) and is seventh in the Pac-12 in kills/set in conference matches (3.59).
- Dahlke is coming off a breakout campaign in 2016, a season in which she averaged 3.95 kills and 4.35 points per set. Those figures ranked fourth and sixth in the Pac-12, up from 1.57 kills and 1.72 points per set as a freshman in 2015.
BIG SHOES TO FILL
- This season, sophomore setter Julia Patterson is tasked with replacing All-American Penina Snuka, the 2016 Pac-12 Setter of the Year. So far, so good. Patterson is averaging 10.08 assists/set, sixth most in the Pac-12, and 2.32 digs/set.
- As the understudy of the best digging setter in UA history, Patterson must have picked up a thing or two. Snuka led the Pac-12 in double-doubles all four seasons as UA. Patterson is seventh in the Pac-12 with 11 double-doubles this year.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS
- Four freshmen have played huge roles for the Wildcats this season: OPP Elizabeth Shelton (17 starts), OH Paige Whipple (15 starts), MB Candice Denny (11 starts) and Katie Smoot (2 starts).
- All four have 60-or-more kills this year, marking the first time in school history that UA has had four freshmen with 60-plus kills.
RUBIO AND STAFF RECRUITING AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL
WILD KITTENS
- Arizona has eight freshmen, five sophomores, three juniors and just three seniors. Arizona's 13 underclassmen are the most in the Pac-12.
- Through graduation/transfer, Arizona lost six players who combined for 737 total sets played in 2016. The nine returners combined for 550 sets last season and 946 for their entire careers.
GOING STREAKING
- With Arizona's sweep of #15 USC this season, UA extended a streak of now seven straight seasons in which the Wildcats have upset either USC or UCLA while they were ranked. (2016 - #22, #25 USC & #18, #9 UCLA; 2015 - #11 UCLA; 2014 - #20 UCLA; 2013 - #1 USC; 2012 - #5 UCLA; 2011 - #2 UCLA twice).
UP NEXT
- Arizona wraps up the 2017 season with a road (at Washington)/home (vs. ASU) week.
