ARIZONA 3, #17 UTAH 1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-16, 25-15)
Wednesday, November 23 | 4 p.m. MST
Recap | Box Score | Highlights

ARIZONA (18-13, 10-9 Pac-12) at ARIZONA STATE (11-20, 4-15 Pac-12)
Saturday, November 26 | 3 p.m. MST
Pac-12 Networks | Live Stats | Live Updates | Arizona Notes | Arizona State Notes
 

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CATS AT A GLANCE

• The final week of the 2016 regular season is here as the Cats are set for senior week beginning in Tucson vs. No. 17 Utah on Wednesday before Arizona heads to Tempe to face Arizona State on Saturday.
• With less than a week to go until Selection Sunday, Arizona's RPI sits at No. 31. The Cats are 7-10 vs. RPI top 50 teams. Only 10 teams in the country have more than Arizona's seven RPI Top 50 victories.
• Arizona's senior class, which will be celebrated prior to the match on Wednesday, has left an incredible legacy on the program, and has some incredible group and individual accomplishments to show for it. With one more win, Arizona's senior class will become the winningest senior class in over a decade.
• Penina Snuka enters senior day 18 assists shy of 5,000 assists. The senior is trying to become the second player in school history to reach the milestone. Snuka is set to leave Arizona as Arizona's all-time leader in sets played and second in both career assists and digs.
• Arizona's other four-year senior, Laura Larson, will leave Arizona with the all-time record in matches played. The Lakeville, Minnesota native has played in every match of her career (131 entering the week). Larson's 1,160 career digs currently rank eighth in Arizona history while her 437 this season are fourth in school history.
• Arizona has played 15 matches vs. ranked opponents this season. After starting the year 0-5 vs. ranked competition, the Cats have won six of their last 10 vs. ranked opponents. Those six wins, all in the last seven weeks, vs. ranked teams are the most in a season since 2005 for Arizona. Arizona recently completed a stretch of 12 matches in which it played 10 ranked opponents; such is life in the Pac-12.
• Much of the reason Arizona has turned things around can be traced to its health. Arizona's top three scorers (Kendra Dahlke - concussion; Kalei Mau - dislocated shoulder & slipped disc; Katarina Pilepic - broken finger) have all missed extended time this year. The trio have been in the starting lineup together just 17 times this season, including the last 14 matches.
• Penina Snuka, the week 11 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, is second in the Pac-12 in double-doubles (19). The senior has led the conference in double-doubles in each of her three seasons at Arizona and is trying to make it a perfect 4-for-4.
• After leading the Pac-12 in digs each of the last three seasons, Arizona is third this year, averaging 15.82 digs/set. Laura Larson is seventh in the Pac-12, averaging 3.86 digs/set.
• Kendra Dahlke and Kalei Mau are both in the top three in the Pac-12 in kills, making them the best offensive duo in the Pac-12. Mau is second with 4.00 kills/set while Dahlke is third with 3.99 kills/set. No other team in the conference has two players in the top 10.
• Arizona's success this season can be traced to where it all starts: serve and pass. In Arizona's 17 wins, UA is averaging 1.42 aces/set while in losses, the Cats are averaging just 0.86 per set. Additionally, in losses the Cats have allowed 1.12 aces/set compared to just 0.71/set in victories. Arizona has 112 service errors in its 13 losses.
• Arizona's opponents (future and past matches) have a combined record of 411-227 (.644), making the Wildcats' schedule the sixth hardest in the country.
• Kendra Dahlke is enjoying a breakout campaign in her sophomore year. After averaging 1.57 kills/set as a freshman with four double-digit kill matches, Dahlke leads the Wildcats with 3.98 kills/set and has had 10-or-more kills in 23 of the 26 matches she has played in. Dahkle is third in the Pac-12 in kills.
• 2016 marks the 25th season as the head coach of the Wildcats for Dave Rubio, the conference's active leader victories as a Pac-10/12 coach (475). In 2016, the team will celebrate his quarter century of excellence, which includes a 2000 Pac-10 championship and a trip to the 2001 Final Four.

THIS WEEK: It's senior week for the Arizona Wildcats (17-12, 9-9 Pac-12) who enter the final week of the regular season, preparing to play their third and fourth matches in a span of eight days. Penina Snuka, Laura Larson, Kalei Mau, McKenna Painton and Katarina Pilepic will play their final matches in McKale Center on Wednesday against No. 17 Utah before the Cats head to Tempe to take on Arizona State on Saturday in the regular season finale.
 
UA is coming off a home split against the Bay Area teams last week, defeating Cal in four sets before losing in three to No. 12 Stanford. The split kept Arizona at .500 in Pac-12 play (9-9), but the victory over the Bears ensured Arizona of its ninth straight winning record and 21st overall in Coach Rubio's 25 years at Arizona.
 
On Sunday, Arizona and the rest of the nation will learn its NCAA Tournament fate as the bracket is set to be released at 7 p.m. MST on ESPNU. The Wildcats will likely qualify for their fourth consecutive and 28th overall NCAA Tournament on the strength of six victories vs. ranked opponents and one of the most difficult schedules in the country.
 
OPPONENTS
Utah: The 17th-ranked Utes (20-9, 11-7 Pac-12) come to Tucson after splitting with the Washington schools at home last weekend ... Utah brings a stellar 7-2 record in road conference matches this year to McKale Center ... The matchup will feature the top three hitters in the Pac-12 with Utah's Adora Anae (4.69 kills/set) going up against Arizona's Mau (4.00 kill/set) and Dahlke (3.99 kills/set) ... Anae also leads the conference in double-doubles (20), one more than Arizona's Snuka, trying to lead the league in kills for the fourth straight year.
 
Arizona State: The Sun Devils (10-20, 3-15 Pac-12) ended a six-match drought with a victory over California in their last outing ... Oluoma Okaro leads the Pac-12 in aces (0.35/set) and is 10th in blocks (1.11/set) ... Sophomore setter Kylie Pickrell is eighth in the conference in assists (7.08/set).
 
RANKINGS: Following a one-week appearance in the AVCA Top 25, the Cats fell out of the poll last week, but continue to receive votes.
 
SETTING THE TONE: All-conference setter Penina Snuka has excelled in her three-plus seasons as the Wildcats' setter. Snuka has been an honorable mention All-American each of the last two seasons. Snuka has led the Pac-12 in double-doubles in each of her three seasons at Arizona (2013 - 19, 2014 - 25, 2015 - 22) and has 19 in 2016, second in the conference. Snuka is currently third in Arizona history with 4,982 assists and is Arizona's top digging setter (second overall) with 1,555 digs.
 
CAN YOU DIG IT? After leading the conference in digs each of the last three years, Arizona is third this year, averaging 15.82 digs/set. Laura Larson is seventh in the league, averaging 3.86 digs/set. The senior has double-digit digs in 41 of Arizona's last 45 matches. Larson's 437 digs this season rank fourth in a season in Arizona history. Candace Nicholson's record 512 in 2013 is in striking distance for Larson, potentially depending on an NCAA Tournament run.
 
WHAT SOPHOMORE SLUMP? After averaging 1.57 kills/set as a part-time player in 2015, Kendra Dahlke has burst onto the scene in a big way as a sophomore. Dahlke is second on the team with 3.99 kills/set and has had double-digit kills in 24 of the 28 matches she has played in. In 2015, she had four total double-digit kill efforts. Dahlke is third in the Pac-12 in kills/set (3.99) and third in points/set (4.42).
 
PUTTING THE TEAM ON HER BACK: In the 55 matches that Kalei Mau has played in since the start of 2015, she has led the team (or tied for the team lead) in kills in 41 of those matches. Mau's 13 20-plus kill matches in that span rank sixth in a career in Arizona history.
 
ACE IN THE HOLE: Arizona is third in the Pac-12 with 1.17 aces after finishing in the bottom third of the conference each of the last three years. The Wildcats' 132 aces are 28 more than their 2015 total in three fewer matches. Seven Wildcats have double digit aces: Penina Snuka (30), Laura Larson (21), Kalei Mau (15), Makenna Martin (15), Reilly Killeen (14), Katarina Pilepic (11) and Kendra Dahlke (11).
 
PERFECT 10: Arizona's 2016 recruiting class was ranked as the 10th best class in the country by PrepVolleyball.com. The Cats have seven freshmen, including two top-100 recruits (#60 Shardonee Hayes & #67 Julia Patterson).
 
A CLASS OF THEIR OWN: Arizona's senior class has won 80 matches, with the opportunity to become the winningest class in over a decade. Should the 2016 team win one more match, it will make the senior class the winningest in Arizona history since the 2003 class won 90. These seniors are trying to become Arizona's first to make four NCAA Tournament appearances since the 2005 class capped off Arizona's run of 10 straight NCAA Tournaments.
 
FOLLOW THE CATS: Get a behind-the-scenes look at 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: The NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Sunday at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.