Arizona Volleyball Continues their hot Start to the 2018 Season

Amid the hustle and bustle of Arizona Athletics, one sport we cannot forget is the Arizona Volleyball team as the Wildcats continue their hot streak.

Head coach David Rubio enters his 27th season in Tucson and once again he and the Arizona Volleyball team should have a competitive program that can compete for an NCAA Tournament spot.

Last year however, was a bit of a tough one though, as the Wildcats finished year 11-18 (5-15), good for 10th place in the Pac-12.

Arizona Wildcats

So far in 2018, it’s been a stark difference from 2017. Already six games into their season, and the Wildcats are off to one of their best starts as a program, winning all six of its matches.

The season began last Friday, when Arizona first took on Cal State University, Northridge to begin the day. The Wildcats dominated the match from start to finish, winning all three sets in convincing fashion by finals of 25-17, 25-14 and 25-19.

A little later in the day, Arizona would take to the court again, this time against Utah State. Not quite having the same success, it was the Aggies that came out swinging first. Utah State would steal the first set by a 25-15 final, but luckily the Wildcats responded.

Arizona stole sets two and three by a 25-20 and 25-19 final respectively, to take a 2-1 match lead. However, the Aggies wouldn’t go quietly. Needing a set victory, Utah State rebounded and came away victorious to send the match to a fifth and final set.

The Wildcats hoping to put this one away came out strong, opening a 11-2 lead. Controlling things early on, Arizona would cruise to the 15-4 win, giving the Wildcats the 3-2 match victory!

The next day, Arizona would take on Sacramento State. Arizona came out fast in this one, winning the first and second set by 25-12 and 25-17 victories, but Sacramento State refused to quite, stealing the third match by a 28-26 win.

Unshaken, the Wildcats would come away victorious as they dispatched the Hornets by 25-17 final to improve to 3-0 on the year!

Returning home, Arizona would finally get back to action this weekend as part of the Cactus Classic hosted inside McKale Center. First up was Lipscomb on Friday as the Wildcats defeated them handily in all three sets by finals of 25-17, 25-20 and 25-13.

Later in the day it was San Diego State who would meet Arizona’s path of destruction. For the second straight match, the Wildcats would prove to be too strong for its adversaries, winning in all three sets 25-22, 25-19 and 25-17 respectively.

However, the weekend dominance would not end there. The Wildcats would take to the court one last time to hopefully cap off an already successful weekend.

Facing Pacific, Arizona would once again show their strength. Early on, Arizona took command in the first set, winning in close fashion by a 25-22 final, and also stealing set two a 25-19 final. The third and final set would be a bit closer, but the Wildcats would edge this one out, securing the 25-21 victory and keeping their perfect record intact!

It’s been a great start to the season, but it’s the Wildcats’s balance in talent just about everywhere that has made them so successful. So far it has been senior outside hitter Kendra Dahlke that has been leading the way, already with 121 kills on the season.

However, you can’t forget the impressive play Elizabeth Shelton, Paige Whipple and Devyn Cross that also lead the team in kills.

Junior setter Julia Patterson has also been fantastic to start the season so far, already with 238 assists on the year.

If Arizona can continue their strong play, they are going to be a tough team come conference play!

At Zona Zealots, we are proud of the way the Wildcats have played and can’t wait to see them continue to improve this season! Bear Down, Arizona!