.

.

.

.

.

#14 ARIZONA AT #1 USC

Date: Sunday, Oct. 18

Time: 11:00 a.m. MST

Location: Los Angeles, Calif. (Galen Center)

T.V./Stream: Pac-12 Networks (Jim Watson, Holly McPeak)

Live Stats: usctrojans.com

Live Updates: Twitter (@ArizonaVBall)

THIS WEEK: Fourteenth-ranked Arizona continues its four-game road trip in which the four teams have a combined 59-9 (.868) record as UA heads to the City of Angels for a pair of matches against the nation's 12th best team (UCLA) and best team (USC). When it's all said and done, Arizona will have faced seven of the nation's top 12 teams in a 12-match span. Coming off a split in the Evergreen State, (loss at Washington, victory at Washington State), No. 14 Arizona faces No. 12 UCLA on Friday, Oct. 16 at 6:30 p.m. and No. 1 USC on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 11 a.m. MST. Both matches will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.

QUICK HITS

·         After beginning the season 8-0 for the fifth time in school history, Arizona has fallen into a one loss, one win pattern for the next 10 matches. In those 10 matches, Arizona has faced five top-10 teams and an additional ranked team. The Wildcats are 13-0 against teams outside the current top 10, and 0-5 against current top 10 teams.

·         Arizona has won at least one set in each of its five matchups with top-10 teams, including taking Texas and Stanford to five sets. In addition to Arizona's seven set victories, UA has taken six additional sets to deuce, but lost all six of those sets. Despite losing all five of the matches, Arizona has only been outscored by a cumulative 20 points (497-477).

·         Kalei Mau, who averaged 1.27 kills/set in 2014, has 18 or more kills in nine of Arizona's last 11 matches, including seven 20-plus-kill efforts. Her 5.12 kills/set in Pac-12 play are second in the conference.

·         The Wildcats' serve receive has been seen a drastic improvement recently. Over Arizona's first eight matches, the Wildcats allowed 1.12 aces/set. In the 10 matches since then, UA has given up just 0.51 aces/set. 

·         Arizona leads the Pac-12 in digs (16.51/set), is second in kills (13.21/set) and is third in assists (13.21/set). Penina Snuka (11.10/set) leads the Pac-12 in assists.

·         Eleven of Arizona's 17 opponents have hit under .160 this season, including six under .100. Arizona is holding its opponents to a .163 cumulative hitting percentage which is fifth in the Pac-12.

·         Arizona has not been swept since dropping a three-set decision at No. 5 Washington on Nov. 21, 2014. In the 23 matches since then, Arizona has swept 10 of its opponents.

·         The Wildcats are more than halfway to their third straight 20-win season. Prior to recording 21 (2013) and 24 (2014) wins each of the last two seasons, Arizona reached 20 victories just once in the previous seven seasons (2010; 20).

·         Despite losing its top three scorers from a season ago, Arizona has rebounded remarkably and is second in the Pac-12 in kills. Kalei Mau, who averaged 1.27 kills in her 49 sets as a sophomore in 2014, has starred in her increased role, averaging 4.60 kills/set, ninth in the country.  

·         Coinciding with the arrival of assistant coach Gregg Whitis, who works mainly with Arizona's defensive specialists, Arizona's defense has been historic the last two seasons and looks to be picking up right where it left off. UA posted its top two digs/set figures in school history each of the last two years, leading the Pac-12 with 17.87 digs/set in 2014, breaking the school record of 17.42 digs/set in 2013. Through 18 matches this year, UA leads the conference with 16.51 digs/set.

·         All-conference setter Penina Snuka currently leads the conference in assists (11.10/set). What makes this even more impressive is that she leads Arizona with 3.18 digs/set, taking her away from 3.18 assist opportunities every game. The junior ranks sixth in Arizona history with 3,174 assists and is approaching the top 10 in digs with 1,005.

·         When Arizona meets USC on Sunday, it will be in search of its third victory over a No. 1 team in program history. Arizona's last victory over a top-ranked team came nearly exactly two years ago when Arizona beat No. 1 USC in three sets in McKale Center on Oct. 20, 2013. Arizona has never beaten a No. 1 team on the road. UA is 2-14 against No. 1 teams all-time.

OPPONENTS

UCLA: The 12th-ranked Bruins (13-3, 4-2 Pac-12) will enter the matchup with Arizona winners of three straight, including last week's sweep of Utah and Colorado, losing just one set in the process. Friday's match will feature the top two outside hitters in the Pac-12 in conference play. UCLA's Jordan Anderson leads the conference with 5.21 kills/set in Pac-12 play while Kalei Mau is right behind her, averaging 5.12 kills/set. Anderson played with Arizona's Nikki Attea and Anna Panagiotakopoulos at West Virginia last season before the trio transferred out west.

Series History: The Bruins have dominated the series 54-23-1, but it has been closely contested lately, with Arizona taking five of the last seven meetings (UCLA was a top-five team for three of Arizona's four victories). Last season, Arizona swept the then-20th-ranked Bruins in Westwood in the teams' only meeting (full recap on page 5.

USC: The top-ranked Trojans (18-0, 6-0 Pac-12) rocketed up the polls after being ranked 22nd in the preseason poll thanks to a dream start behind senior Samantha Bricio, who leads the Pac-12 in kills (4.95/set) and aces (0.74/set). USC has dropped just seven sets all season and is a perfect 6-0 against ranked opponents, all of whom were ranked 13th or better at the time of competition.

Series History: The Trojans own a decisive 58-18 advantage in the all-time series, including a four-set victory in Tucson last season in the lone match between the two last season (full recap on page 5).

HEAD COACH DAVE RUBIO: The winningest active volleyball coach in the Pac-12, Dave Rubio is in his 24th season at the helm of the Arizona volleyball program. Rubio has led the Wildcats to the NCAA Tournament in 17 of his 23 seasons as the head coach, including five of the last six seasons. Rubio, who guided the 2000 club to a Pac-10 title and the 2001 squad to the Final Four, holds a 453-268 (.629) all-time record at Arizona.

RANKINGS: Arizona remains ranked 14th in the AVCA Top 25. The Wildcats have been ranked as high as 13 this season (week 2). Arizona has not been ranked higher than 13th since finishing the 2005 season seventh. UA was 17th in the preseason rankings its highest preseason ranking since an identical ranking of 17th heading into the 2005 season. Arizona is one of seven Pac-12 teams in the poll. Arizona has been in 23 consecutive polls, dating back week 1 of last year, including 20 straight top-20 rankings. Arizona finished 2014 ranked 16th.

SETTING THE TONE: All-conference setter Penina Snuka has excelled in her two-plus seasons as the Wildcats' setter and will be the key piece in Arizona's success in 2015. Snuka was an honorable mention All-American a season ago when she totaled 1,234 assists (10.82/set) as well as 453 digs, third in Arizona history. Snuka led the Pac-12 in double-doubles in 2014 with 25. After just two seasons, Snuka is already sixth in Arizona history with 3,174 assists and moving quickly up the digs chart. Snuka is already 124 digs away from cracking the Arizona top 10 and 141 digs away from recording the most digs from a setter in school history.

CAN YOU DIG IT? Arizona has excelled the last two years, posting the two best dig/set totals in school history, including a school record 17.87 last season. Laura Larson returns after spending the summer as the starting libero for Team USA in the World University Games. Arizona also welcomes three transfers (Anna Panagiotakopoulos - West Virginia, McKenna Painton - Cal State Fullerton and Mackenzie Kleespies - James Madison) all of whom were the primary liberos at their previous schools. UA has led the conference in digs each of the last two seasons.

Arizona posted the seventh-highest dig total in school history when it dug 112 balls in the season-opener vs. SMU. Five of the top 11 dig totals in Arizona history have come since the start of the 2014 season. Kalei Mau notched 31 of those digs to be named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week. Mau's 31 digs are tied for fifth in Arizona history. In school history, there have been 10 30-plus dig matches, five of which have come since the start of the 2013 season.

FRESH FACES: When Arizona takes the court there will be plenty of new faces for fans to learn. Two-thirds of Arizona's roster (12 of 18) is made up of players that will see their first action for Arizona in 2015. This includes seven freshmen, four transfers and a redshirt freshman. Arizona's eight-player recruiting class is ranked 14th nationally and includes four top-100 recruits: Sarah Dixon (30), Tyler Spriggs (37), Kendra Dahlke (49) and Meghan Buzzerio (95). The four transfers should play an even greater role as they each bring an invaluable resource to the team: experience. UA welcomes honorable mention All-American Nikki Attea from West Virginia as well as the Mountaineer's primary libero Anna Panagiotakopoulos. Additionally the Cats welcome Mackenzie Kleespies from James Madison and McKenna Painton from Cal State Fullerton, both of whom served as the libero at their previous schools.

SWEET 16: PrepVolleyball.com ranked the Top 25 Division I Volleyball programs of all time, ranking Arizona 16th siting the 18 seasons Arizona has finished in the Top 25, including last year. This ranking is a credit to the work that head coach Dave Rubio has put in during his 23-plus years as the head coach at Arizona. Though there has always been high quality volleyball at Arizona, Rubio has taken things to a new level. Rubio took over a program that won four total tournament games in history and equaled that total within his first three years. In all, volleyball has been to 26 NCAA Tournaments, including five of the last six and 17 total under Rubio. Arizona has been to seven Sweet 16s, four Elite 8s and advanced to the 2001 Final Four. Arizona finished in the top five in five seasons, including a high of No. 4 in 2001.

A NEW LOOK: The Wildcats lose several key contributors from the 2014 club that will need to be replaced in 2015. In addition to the graduation of five key seniors, the Cats will also be without outside hitter Ashley Harris, who is taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. Harris, All-American Madi Kingdon and Taylor Arizobal were Arizona's primary scoring options last season, and all are gone now.  UA also lost starting libero Ronni Lewis and key role players MB Rachel Rhoades and DS Kennedy Wesley.

Though the Wildcats lose a significant amount of offense, all-conference setter Penina Snuka will have plenty of options to set this season, a majority of whom are in their first season with the program. UA welcomes three freshmen outside hitters, all of whom were top-100 recruits - Kendra Dahlke, Tyler Spriggs and Meghan Buzzerio. Additionally, the Cats welcome honorable mention All-American Nikki Attea from West Virginia for her senior season. Attea totaled 292 kills on .269 hitting in 2014. Junior outside hitter Kalei Mau, who saw limited action as a sophomore, will play a large role as well.

NEW DIGS: Historic McKale Center received a roughly-$30 million facelift prior to the 2014 season. The first phase of the multi-phase renovation included brand new seats in the arena, a new court, a new state-of-the-art video board, new LED screens around the arena, upgraded concessions and bathrooms in the concourse and a new locker room complete with a lounge area and kitchenette. Head coach Dave Rubio said of the facility, “Our goal was to have the nicest, most state-of-the-art locker room in the country. I think, thanks to our administration, that is exactly what we got. It's pretty exciting and beautiful.”

ALONG FOR THE RIDE: Follow 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 returns home after a four-game road trip to face Colorado and Utah next week. The Cats face the Buffaloes on Friday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. before hosting the Utes on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 11 a.m. MST. Both matches will be televised by the Pac-12 Networks.