The Wildcats, practicing during Thursday’s open period in Lincoln, Nebraska, are playing in their first Sweet 16 match since 2005. To advance today, they will have to beat a Washington team that lost only one of seven sets to the UA this season.
LINCOLN, Neb. — There isn’t much Penina Snuka hasn’t done for the Arizona volleyball program. The senior setter is first in program history in sets played, and second in career digs and assists. But there is one notable item left on her to-do list.
“Washington is the only Pac 12 school I haven’t beaten,” Snuka said Thursday.
She gets one last, unexpected, chance to do that on Friday, when the Wildcats (20-14) play the Huskies (28-4) in NCAA Tournament’s regional semifinals at the Devaney Center.
The Sweet 16 match will begin at approximately 12:30 p.m. following host Nebraska’s match against Penn State.
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Washington, the Pac-12 Conference champion, has won 11 straight against the UA. It’s not that the Huskies are overwhelming athletically, Arizona coach Dave Rubio said, but they just don’t make many mistakes.
“Out of all the teams we play, Washington, without question, tends to be the team we struggle most against,” Rubio said. “Their style of play is difficult for us to manage. It’s been frustrating.”
Washington hit .255 with 19 attack errors in a four-set win in Tucson, and .286 with 11 errors in a sweep in Seattle. Across the net, Arizona had two of its poorer offensive matches, hitting .187 with 31 errors at home and .160 with 23 errors on the road.
“The last two years, they’ve made a statement about what type of team they are,” senior outside hitter Kalei Mau said. “We have to choose a different mentality. We’re going to come in (Friday) thinking we need to do whatever we need to do to be efficient.”
One key will be slowing down freshman Kara Bajema. She’s fourth in the Pac 12 with a .353 hitting percentage, and has been even better (.583) against the Wildcats.
Washington coach Keegan Cook said Bajema, who switched this season from middle blocker to outside hitter, has been fearless and shameless this season.
“She’s willing to look unskilled and uncoordinated at times,” Cook said. “We call her the baby giraffe.”
Washington, in the regional semifinals for a fifth straight season, has Snuka in its scouting report. Snuka hasn’t attacked as much in the past three matches as she has much of the season, but UW knows she’s capable of scoring on her own.
“She does everything well. She plays great defense, she runs a great offense, she has a great serve,” Washington middle blocker Crissy Jones said. “She’s really fun to watch.”
Rubio said Snuka has the green light to attack as needed. Against Washington, it might be a necessity.
“The biggest thing for us is lack of scoring. We make up for that when Penina is front row and (we) have an option to put more pressure on the front row players on the opponent’s side,” Rubio said. “It depends on how the defense is playing her, and I’ll be advising her about that through the match.”
Match points
- Arizona is playing in the regional semifinal for the first time since 2005. The bigger stage also brings out more media, and Rubio and Snuka faced a roomful of reporters Thursday afternoon. “If I’d known this many people were going to be here, I’d have dressed better,” said Rubio, who was wearing track pants and a sweatshirt. Snuka, donning her uniform, was ready for the bright lights. “We haven’t been this far in quite some time. We’ve enjoyed the attention,” she said.
- Of the 16 teams remaining in the tournament, six are from the Big Ten and four from the Pac-12. The two conferences have long been regarded as the sport’s best. When asked which is better, Rubio was diplomatic. “The Big Ten is better than the Pac 12 at the top end, but top-to-bottom, I think the Pac-12 is better,” he said.
