THIS WEEK (Times MST)
Match 13 ||Â Thursday, Sept. 26 ||Â
 3,Â
 0 ||
Recap ||
Box Score
Match 14 ||Â Saturday, Sept. 28 (7 p.m.) ||Â
 atÂ
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Pac-12 Plus ||Â
Live Stats ||Â
Twitter Updates
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ARIZONA TO OPEN PAC-12 PLAY ON THE ROAD
- For the third time in the last four weeks, the Wildcats (10-2) will hit the road, set to open Pac-12 play at Arizona State (8-3) on Thursday and No. 25 USC (6-4) on Saturday.
- Arizona will ride an eight-match winning streak into Pac-12 play, its longest winning streak entering conference play since entering Pac-10 play 11-0 in 2009.
- The Wildcats open conference play in Tempe, facing rival Arizona State on Thursday at 7 p.m. before heading to Los Angeles to face USC at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.Â
- Live Coverage: Vs. Arizona State: Arizona's match vs. Arizona State will be available on the Pac-12 Networks (Daron Sutton, Halle Harker) and streamed live at pac-12.com/live; live stats will be available at arizonastats.com ... Vs. USC: Arizona's match vs. USC will not be televised, but will be streamed on Pac-12 Plus; live stats are available at usctrojans.com ... Follow this weekend's action and all season long on Twitter (@ArizonaVBall).
QUICK HITS
- Arizona enters Pac-12 play on an eight-match winning streak, dropping just two total sets during its current winning streak, stretching back to Sept. 7, which is UA's longest since winning the first eight matches of 2018.
- During the Wildcats' eight-match winning streak, the Wildcats are outhitting their opponents by nearly .200 points (.326-.141) and are averaging nearly 15 kills/set (14.38) while holding opponents to 10.85/set.
- Last weekend, Arizona swept the Wildcat Classic, defeating Alabama State (3-0), New Mexico State (3-0) and Sacramento State (3-1) in the final three nonconference matches of the season.
- Arizona ranks third in the Pac-12 in hitting percentage (.286), helped out by a pair of players having two of the most efficient offensive seasons in the country. Devyn Cross ranks second in the NCAA with a .511 hitting percentage while Elizabeth Shelton, who is hitting .329 with 106 kills this season, ranks second in the Pac-12 among players with at least 100 kills.Â
- While the offense has been improving every week, Arizona's defense has been suffocating all year long. The Wildcats have held 10 of their 12 opponents under .220 hitting this year, including all three Wildcat Classic opponents .150 or under last week.
- The Wildcats are 10-0 when posting a better hitting percentage than their opponents and 0-2 when they are outhit by their opponent. UA is 6-0 when hitting .300 or better and 8-0 when holding its opponents to .200 or worse.
- On Thursday night, the Wildcats will look to win their fifth straight match over Arizona State after sweeping their rivals each of the last two seasons, needing just 13 sets, one over the minimum, to win the four matches. Also, UA will look to extend its winning streak this season to nine matches, which would be its longest since winning 12 straight matches to open the 2009 season.
- Last week, senior setter Julia Patterson moved into eighth place in Arizona history in career assists; she enters the week with 2,799 career dimes.
- Freshman libero Kamaile Hiapo, the first Wildcat to start as a libero as a freshman since Candace Nicholson in 2010, is the top digging freshman in the Pac-12 this season, averaging 3.39 digs/set, highest mark on the team.
- Head coach Dave Rubio is in his 28th season as the Wildcats' head coach. Last season, Rubio became the second coach in Pac-12 history to surpass 500 victories as a league coach and currently has a career record of 522-323 (.615) at Arizona.
ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (8-3)
- Team Notes: Arizona State enters the week winners of three straight, including a sweep of the Rebel Classic with wins over UNLV (3-2) and Kansas (3-0) ... The Sun Devils feature one of the best defenses in the Pac-12, holding opponents to a .156 hitting percentage, helped out by a league-leading 16.40 digs/set, led by the Pac-12 leader Courtney Leffel (5.11).
- Head Coach: Sonja Tomasevic (3rd season; 32-43)
- Series History: Arizona 52, Arizona State 43
2018 (2-0); H: Arizona 3, ASU 0; A: Arizona 3, ASU 0 Â
#25 USC TROJANS (6-4)
- Team Notes: USC has won four of its last five matches after starting the season 2-3; the Trojans split last weekend's USD Invitational, falling to host San Diego (3-2) and defeating Long Beach State (3-0) ... Khalia Lanier leads the Trojans, averaging 4.18 kills per set and a Pac-12-best 0.50 aces per set.
- Head Coach: Brent Crouch (2nd season ; 28-15)
- Series History: USC 64, Arizona 22
2018 (0-2); Away: USC 3, Arizona 1; H: USC 3, Arizona 2Â
