Arizona soccer sprints past Southeast Missouri State for third straight win

The goals came in bunches for the second straight game

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Wildcats had trouble scoring goals early in the season. Now they are coming in bunches.

The Wildcats (3-1) routed Southeast Missouri State 5-0 on a scorching Friday afternoon for their third straight win. Arizona has now scored 10 times in their last two games after mustering one goal in their first two matches.

What’s changed? They are stomping their opponents’ confidence early.

“Scoring early in the last couple games makes all the difference,” said Arizona head coach Tony Amato. “You gotta get that first goal in games like this or it’s a dog fight.”

Sophomore Jada Talley (11’) and freshman Emily Knous (18’) supplied the early spark Friday, each netting a goal in the first 20 minutes of the match.

Samantha Falasco found Knous with a long pass on the right side of the box, and Knous immediately crossed it to a streaking Talley, who finished with her right foot.

.@ArizonaSoccer takes a 1-0 lead on Southeast Missouri State in the 11th minute.@samanthafalasco and @emknous16 with the setup for @jadatalley_ pic.twitter.com/HU0PHgAmPJ

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) August 31, 2018

Knous was then on the receiving end a few minutes later, knocking in a rebound after a nice set up by Amanda Porter and Hannah Clifford. It was the freshman’s first career goal.

“It was pretty exciting. I felt like it was coming for a while,” said Knous, who has started in every game this year. “I (enrolled) early in the spring, felt like I played well, just necessarily didn’t get on the scoreboard. So I felt it coming for a while and I’m glad it finally got the back of the net.”

.@emknous16 scores her first career goal to give @ArizonaSoccer an early 2-0 lead. Wildcats out here dominating. pic.twitter.com/WiEPoEg7iv

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) September 1, 2018

For Talley, it was her third goal of the season. The sophomore continues to emerge as Arizona’s top goal-scorer, which hasn’t exactly caught anyone by surprise. Talley and Amato both said they saw this kind of production coming after she performed so well in the spring.

“I got three goals in spring so I think that’s when I started being more comfortable on the ball, getting comfortable with my center [midfielders],” Talley said. “That’s what started it, knowing that somebody had to fill that spot. ... And I know I can. I know that’s what Tony recruited me to do.”

Falasco scored UA’s third goal in the 55th minute by knocking in a corner from Porter. Then Morgan McGarry, who initiated Arizona’s offense all day long, followed that up in the 61st minute with an absolute laser from distance that nicked off the goalkeeper’s hands before trickling into the back of the net.

An absolute laser by @morgansmcgarry extends @ArizonaSoccer's lead to 4-0 on Southeast Missouri State pic.twitter.com/UoE4AQ6mMg

— Ryan Kelapire (@RKelapire) September 1, 2018

Brooke Wilson finally capped the scoring in the 82nd minute with her second goal in as many games.

“It’s a good start to this weekend,” Falasco said. “I think we’ve been playing so well, being able to find chances in the run of play and then especially off set-pieces, which we excel at.”

Arizona finished with a staggering 24-1 shot differential and held Southeast Missouri State without a shot for the first 72 minutes of the match.

Amato credited the dominant performance to his players’ execution and mental focus, seeing that they had to traverse the 104-degree heat. The Wildcats used 24 players to stay fresh and hopped in a nearby pool minutes after the final whistle.

“You tell yourself not to think about it, but it is so hard,” Knous said of the 100-degree temperatures.

“Your body goes through things that it (normally doesn’t),” Talley added. “I was getting the chills in the heat. I was very confused but you have to keep going. Like Tony told us, you know you’re getting a sub, just play for as long as I put you out there for so you have that to look forward to.”

Even though it was a laugher, it was still an important win for the Wildcats simply because they avoided a second loss to a mid-major. Arizona fell to Albany in their season-opener before their current three-game winning streak.

Talley cringed when asked about that game, but it has served as a source of motivation for the Wildcats.

“After losing to Albany, we hit a switch,” Falasco said. “Obviously we don’t want that happening again. We definitely want to come out fighting.”

Arizona will wrap up the Sun Devil Desert Classic on Sunday when they will face New Hampshire, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association — the same conference Albany is in.

Amato is well aware of that.

“They beat Albany 3-0 last year and won their league,” Amato said. “So we know it’s going to be a big challenge and we’re going to have to respond.”

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5 storylines in the Arizona-BYU game

BYU vs. Arizona score predictions

How will the Wildcats begin the Kevin Sumlin Era?

Football season is finally here, and the Arizona Wildcats are set to open the 2018 campaign with a home game against the BYU Cougars on Saturday night in Tucson (7:45 p.m. MST, ESPN).

Arizona, coming off a 7-6 season, is favored by 12 points by most Las Vegas oddsmakers with the over/under sitting at 60.5. So BYU, which went 4-9 last year, will try to play the role of spoiler at Arizona Stadium.

Here are our score predictions. Be sure to leave yours in the comment section below.

Brian Pedersen — Arizona wins 26-16

Most of the first games for new Arizona coaches over the last 50 years haven’t been works of art and I’m expecting that trend to continue. The uncertainty about the offensive line will lead to some sloppy play when the Wildcats have the ball, and the desire to have Khalil Tate develop as a passer will have him try to stay in the pocket more instead of taking off right away.

Thankfully, BYU’s offense isn’t anything to be too worried about. In fact it’s probably the ideal opponent for Arizona to start against to show that its defense is much-improved. The Cougars had at least two turnovers eight times last year, so don’t be surprised if one of the Wildcats’ TDs comes on defense.

Ryan Kelapire — Arizona wins 35-24

I think Arizona staggers out of the gate thanks to some first-game jitters, but will really start to take command in third quarter when the running game will finally start to crack the large Cougar defense.

While Khalil Tate will surely provide some highlight plays, the thing I’m most interested in seeing is how the offensive line fares and how improved Arizona’s defense looks. It wouldn’t be surprising if Arizona’s offense struggles since it is breaking in five new starters on the offensive line, including a true freshman at left tackle in Donovan Laie.

BYU’s offense was bad last year, ranking 124th in the country in scoring, so I’m not too concern about the UA defense in this one, though it would obviously be a bad sign if it gets torched.

Jason Bartel — Arizona wins 45-27

After going 4-9 last year, I don’t really see BYU as a threat other than the fact that they have an experienced quarterback. But I also think Arizona’s defense has fewer question marks heading into the season than it has in a while.

I see Khalil Tate and the Wildcats getting out to a big lead early in the third quarter, and then when some new guys start getting some run on defense, BYU scores a late ten points to make it a respectable final score.

Zant Reyez — Arizona wins 34-24

I think the ‘Cats will start a little slow, but get the engine running in the second quarter and ride off with a week one win.

The biggest things I’ll be looking at are the 0-line and how much Khalil Tate will mask the weakness the O-line has heading into this season. I also want to see how much Tate has improved as a passer. We know he can create highlight runs, but just think of how even more dangerous he’ll be if his passing is improved.

Brandon Combs — Arizona wins 30-17

Not much really to say. Arizona is more athletic and talented than BYU. It’ll be close to start, but Arizona will wear the Cougar down and pull away. Plus it’s the first game of the Kevin Sumlin era...at home. What’s not to love?

Alec Sills-Trausch — Arizona wins 35-14

The crowd will be fanatical to begin the game and this will prove to buoy the team to a fast start. Tate will put on his usual display of shocking highlights and Arizona keeps BYU at an arm’s length. Hopefully the offensive line plays better than a D grade. If it doesn’t, that could make this game interesting. Let’s see what happens.

Gabe Encinas — Arizona wins 31-20

The offensive line absolutely terrifies me right now until Layth Friekh comes back. I’m not sure how much the offense can do without stability at that position, even with Khalil Tate being able improvise.

BYU proves themselves in defense and it seemed like teams were doing a better job of containing Khalil Tate once they got film on him. Their offense was mediocre last year and like Arizona’s defense there’s no way it gets worse.

I think this game stays relatively close throughout but Arizona finally puts it away late for a 1-0 start to the Kevin Sumlin era before heading to Houston.

Christopher Boan — Arizona wins 31-10

It’s hard to know what to expect from the Stormin’ Mormons of BYU under second-year Coach Kalani Sitake. On one hand, the Cougs pretty much have to be better than they were in 2017, when they went 4-9 and lost to heavyweights like UMass and East Carolina—who combined to win seven games last year. Arizona should be able to roll up points, with Khalil Tate and Shun Brown teaming up to tear apart a Cougars defense that surrendered 147.6 rushing yards and 372.8 total yards per game last season.

I’m not convinced that the Wildcats’ offensive line is in good enough shape to allow Arizona to break 50, but believe they’ll cruise to victory in their first game of the season.

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3 keys to an Arizona victory over BYU

Football is back!

Hello football.

After more than eight months of votes of confidence, sudden firings, allegations, coaching changes, tweets, media access complaints, Heisman hype trains, stadium upgrades, and whatever else happened in Tucson there is finally actual football on the horizon.

And where there is actual football, there are three keys to a team winning said football game.

The Arizona Wildcats return to the field Saturday night against the BYU Cougars for the first time since that Glendale offensive debacle. It’s fair to say Arizona is a completely different team, meanwhile BYU is still trotting out Tanner Mangum decades after his college debut.

So how will the new look Wildcats start the Kevin Sumlin era off on the right foot? Here are three things they’ll need to do:

1. Follow My Lead

First off, in honor of this year’s Pride of Arizona main show, the three keys theme this year will be Justin Timberlake...because of course.

Arizona’s offensive line is certainly the biggest question mark heading into this season, and it will have two big tests without Layth Friekh. BYU presents a challenge because it’s a bunch of grown men going against a bunch of guys that haven’t really spent any real game time together as an o-line. Also, whoever plays center...will they be able to actually snap the ball and then block afterwards?

If Khalil Tate has any semblance of a pocket and J.J. Taylor can have some holes opened up for him, Arizona should be able to move the ball the way it did in October last year. If they don’t have that....well, it could be a repeat of 2016.

2. Dead and Gone

I turned my head to the east, I don’t see nobody by my side

Song lyrics or what players were saying when looking at ZonaZoo the last two years?

It’s time to put the post-Fiesta Bowl years far in the rear view mirror and only look forward. There have been many changes to Arizona Stadium to improve the in-person experience, the new coaching staff and emergence of Khalil Tate has brought a new energy to the program, and a favorable schedule amidst a Pac-12 South full of turmoil has a second division championship looking like a strong possibility.

I imagine that the team will come out with an energy not seen in a few years, and will use it as a launching pad for a new era in Arizona Stadium. Come out flat? Then it’s more of what the end of 2017 looked like.

3. Loose Ends

The one thing I’m most curious to see is the potential improvement on the ends of the defense, most specifically the corners. Arizona DBs have been known to play receivers loose off the line, so will they tighten up and play more press coverage or still have those ten-yard gaps? Will the corners actually be able to cover their guys this year? Who will come up with the big plays?

If BYU pulls off some big passing plays coupled with possession receptions, the Wildcats could be in trouble. The corners’ improvement will help showcase what is now a talented group of sophomores up the middle of the UA defense.

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Analyzing Arizona football’s Week 1 depth chart

We at least have an idea of what the roster looks like heading into the BYU game

The Arizona Wildcats are officially set up to take the field against the BYU Cougars on Saturday.

Kevin Sumlin has released the first depth chart of the season, and while it is bound to change many times throughout the season, it at least gives us a better idea of what we’ll be seeing on Saturday.

Arizona’s first depth chart is here! pic.twitter.com/uKct8ZZ4QJ

— AZ Desert Swarm (@AZDesertSwarm) August 31, 2018

Here are my thoughts on the depth at each position.

Quarterbacks

So K’Hari Lane has maintained the No. 2 role from spring, sort of, and then we won’t really know anything more until Sumlin throws QB3 out there for the first time.

For now, Lane is your guy if Tate has to leave for a series that doesn’t have any redshirt implications of having to burn a game for Kevin Doyle or Jamarye Joiner. But it might not be surprising to see Rhett Rodriguez out there as No. 2 as well.

Arizona might not even get a chance to play a backup quarterback until week three for Southern Utah, and by then the depth chart could look entirely different here.

Running backs

A big omission here is Nathan Tilford, who isn’t even running back three. That role belongs to Anthony Mariscal, who had an impressive spring after switching from safety and could be in line for a couple of carries a game.

He was absolute work horse back in high school and while it appears Tilford just can’t grasp the overarching role of running back, Mariscal is still a good third back that can alleviate the load.

Wide Receivers

Maybe Arizona’s second weakest position, there is a lot going on here for a really young group.

Drew Dixon listed as a No. 2 is a pleasant surprise. The dude is a pure athlete and played just about every position at Sabina High School, but I worried about how long it would take him to polish as a true threat. He’s big, strong, physical and has decent speed, and his development seems to be coming along nicely.

Tre Adams comes in as a No. 3, and between the three freshmen of Adams, Thomas Marcus and Josh Szott, he is the most polished. He has a very similar skill set to Cayleb Jones and will be a very productive receiver for the next four years. I’m really excited to see what he can do and how much he can play this season.

Not making the list is the aforementioned Thomas Marcus. He might be one of the most athletic guys on the team, but he’s a still a little raw and I think he can get a little greedy trying to pull off one-handed catches and highlight reel plays. Long-term, he is Arizona’s best prospect, but right now it looks like he needs some time.

It’s a little surprising to see Jailen Bailey. I’m not so sure how much or if we see him this season since there are some really good options at slot ahead of him, like Stanley Berryhill III and Brian Casteel, who had great camp performances.

A true freshman I’m excited and surprised to see here is Zach Williams. He’s a recruit I was really high on that has great size and speed, playing like a hybrid tight end and receiver. Based on his designation of slot, he’ll likely serve more of an h-back role, much like Terrence Miller did a few years ago, who is another player comparison I like to give. He might not play a lot, but still impressive to see the true freshman.

Nice to see Devaughn Cooper in the mix as well, who was in the doghouse under Rich Rodriguez once he left the team briefly last summer. I’m not sure how long Cedric Peterson holds his starting role, so we might see Dixon or Cooper get in there for some big roles.

Tight end

Bryce Wolma is going to be your go-to guy for in-line blocking and short passing game. Jamie Nunley is going to give you more of a vertical threat. Where Jake Peters falls for playing time, we’ll see.

Offensive line

A whole new starting five for Arizona does not fill me with optimism, and I’ll try not to beat this concern into the ground.

True freshman Donovan Laie will be getting the nod at left tackle. He seemed to have a great camp, battled an injury but appears to be ready for the first two games of the season. A true freshman on Tate’s blindside is a bold move.

But no Michael Eletise, the former four-star recruit and top recruit of the 2016 class. It’s a bit disappointing that he has not cracked the line up, especially with a weak offensive line this year. I think having Lukusa slide down to guard says more about Eletise than Lukusa being versatile, but there’s still plenty of time.

And no Nathan Eldridge, either. It could be a while until we see him. He has been battling some knee issues and for the past two weeks I’ve been told it doesn’t look good for the season. Alex Kosinski is also battling health issues. So enter Josh McCauley, walk-on starting center.

The right side of the line is in a much better state with Bryson Cain and Cody Creason.

Defensive line

Defensive end is interesting, because there is no My-King Johnson, a studly 6-foot-4 227 pounder with a lot of really good traits. It appears Jalen Cochran had a really good camp. JB Brown won’t wow you on the stat sheet, but he fills his assignment and does the right thing.

Nose guard appears to have no changes from expectation, nor does defensive tackle. There is no Sione Taufauhema, who you wish could be utilized due to his size but it appears as if the defensive line is ready to move on without him.

Linebackers

Jalen Harris as the No. 2 stud was inevitable, it was just a matter of how much the staff favored his potential to Lee Anderson III’s experience. I’ll always make the argument that he is Arizona’s best pure pass rusher.

A slight position change, where Issaiah Johnson is now at will originally slotted as a middle linebacker. He can play both, and I think Pandy might be further along than Colacion in terms of depth, but Johnson can be an interchangeable piece if he needs to play.

Safeties

Tristan Cooper will come back in at spur after taking a back seat to Dane Cruikshank last season. My favorite commit from the 2015 class, I think Cooper really gets back to his confident, downhill style of play. It is surprising, and good, to see Xavier Bell on the chart, but Dayven Coleman will be a guy to watch and we’ll likely see him in action Week 1.

Just want everyone to know that Christian Young is good and will push Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles to be even better in his final season. Young is going to be an impact player at Arizona all four years.

Isaiah Hayes has the starting nod over Jarrius Wallace at free safety, which was surprising to me. Hayes battled a concussion his freshman year and now is coming off shoulder surgery. You hope he is 100 percent and can go back to his freshman self. Wallace really made a name for himself last season after Scottie Young Jr. battled injuries, but the staff favors a healthy Hayes.

I get a feeling that as soon as Young’s Week 1 suspension is over, he’s going to be taking on a big role for Week 2.

The only scholarship safety left on the depth chart is Rhedi Short, which just goes to show how deep that position is.

Cornerbacks

Corner is interesting.

Arizona recovered a bit after losing Jhevon Hill and Tony Wallace, likely you’re No. 2 and 3 corners, and it’s not as bad as I once thought because of the progression of the new guys. McKenzie Barnes and Tim Hough will be nice additions, and I think Hough could push for a starting role.

No Sammy Morrison or Malcolm Holland, two guys who were rumored to sustain injuries that could hold them out this season.

Troy Young is so good at football that he could play will, bandit or corner with ease. My concern is speed, and if he can keep up with some Pac-12 receivers.

Special teams

On to special teams, it’s still clear that Lucas Havrisik will take on the kickoff and field goal units. Dylan Klumph will improve Arizona’s punting. It’s also good to see Nick Reinhardt back and it took an ACL tear last season to figure out his value.

Shun Brown at punt return always yields big play potential.

Kickoff return seems to have a hodgepodge of players but all really solid. Interesting to see J.J. Taylor back there, since you’d figure you want him as fresh as possible. I’d love to see the duo of Gary Brightwell and Stanley Berryhill III back there.

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5-star F Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to officially visit Arizona for Red-Blue Game

The Wildcats are one of five finalists for Robinson-Earl

Add another big name to the list of visitors for the Red-Blue Game.

Five-star forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl will take his official visit to Arizona on the weekend of October 13-15, according to Evan Daniels of 247Sports. Five-star point guard Nico Mannion is also visiting that weekend.

Robinson-Earl, the No. 17 player in 2019 class, listed the Arizona Wildcats as one of five finalists in his recruitment earlier this month.

The other four are the North Carolina Tar Heels, Kansas Jayhawks, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and Villanova Wildcats.

Robinson-Earl will officially visit Notre Dame on Sept. 8, Villanova on Sept. 15, North Carolina on Sept. 22 and Kansas on Sept. 29 before rounding out his visits at Arizona, per Daniels.

The 6-foot-8 forward unofficially visited Arizona last season and here is what he likes about the school, per Rivals.

“When I went down on the visit, it was a great campus and a great location. The Pac-12 always has pro teams in each city so you are going to have NBA scouts at each game and practice though if you are good enough they will find you anywhere. I like them because they showed me what they can do specifically with my position. They do a thing called Phoenix push where the bigs can get the ball and push ahead for the guards.”

All nine Crystal Ball predictions have Robinson-Earl picking Kansas when all is said and done.

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Arizona WR Shawn Poindexter plans to make most of extra season

Senior WR also has plans for life after football

To illustrate just how big a deal it was for Shawn Poindexter to get an extra season of college football eligibility, look no further than his last game with the Arizona Wildcats.

Less than two weeks removed from being informed by the NCAA he would be able to return in 2018, thus giving him a second senior season, Poindexter went out and had the best game of his career in the Foster Farms Bowl. He had five catches for 71 yards with a 31-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter.

If that game is an indication of what to expect from the 6-foot-5 wide receiver this fall, look out. We might have found Khalil Tate’s go-to target.

“It’s nothing but a blessing,” Poindexter said Tuesday of his extra year. “Going into last year I wasn’t sure, the NCAA wasn’t getting back to me. I wasn’t sure if I was going to have another year to play.”

Poindexter found out he was coming back in mid-December, the same day Arizona also learned offensive tackle Layth Friekh would get an extra season. Friekh, though, has to sit out the first two games of 2018 because he appeared in a game in 2014 as a true freshman.

That wasn’t the issue with Poindexter, a Peoria native who is entering only his fourth year of college football. He spent two years at Glendale Community College but only played in 2015, having gone there after originally signing to play volleyball at Cal Baptist in 2012.

Poindexter had 19 catches for 294 yards and a TD last season, numbers that he should blow away in 2018. Arizona is intent on having a more prolific passing game and Poindexter figures to play a big role as a much bigger target than the many slot-type receivers the Wildcats have.

“They view me as a guy who can help this team,” Poindexter said. “I think that my IQ has developed over the last three years.”

The extra year may help Poindexter play football beyond college, but whenever his playing career is over he already knows how the next chapter in his life will go. Living in a single-parent household with his three brothers gave him plenty of perspective on the importance of helping others around him if possible.

“Personally, I’d love to play football for as long as possible and use my platform to help at-risk youth in the community,” he said. “I want to open my own facility—I can’t give too many details on that because I don’t want anyone taking my idea. Almost like a Boys and Girls club.”

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Arizona soccer ready to showcase improved depth at Sun Devil Desert Classic

The Wildcats will face Southeast Missouri State and New Hampshire in Tempe this weekend

Recruiting at a higher level than ever, the Arizona Wildcats believe their depth is one of their greatest strengths this season.

They will need it this weekend.

Arizona is set to partake in the annual Sun Devil Desert Classic where they will face Southeast Missouri State on Friday at 4:30 p.m. MST and New Hampshire on Sunday at 11 a.m. MST.

Temperatures in Tempe are expected to reach triple digits for both matches, meaning substitutions will be made early and often.

“It’s going to be hot and we’re not going to kid the players but we train in it and we know the main thing is how to prepare for it,” Arizona head coach Tony Amato said. “We do a lot of things to make sure we’re eating right, hydrated, staying as cool as possible, doing some little details that will help the players, but at the end of the day the players have to go out and play and I think we’ll have a deep squad that can go out there and perform when called upon.”

If Sunday was any indication, Arizona (2-1) has enough firepower to weather the elements. Five different Wildcats scored in a 6-0 win over Houston Baptist, and four of the goal-scorers came off the bench.

“We have that depth where if someone does get tired because of the heat and playing hard and pressing and trying to win the ball, you have someone that can step in and fill that role,” said UA defender Morgan McGarry. “And it feels like there’s no difference whether it’s our starting team out there or we bring in subs, we’re always going to hit the ground running and have no gaps between those.”

The win over HBU capped off a superb week for the Wildcats, who also beat UC Irvine in physical road game. A pair of victories were exactly what Arizona needed opening their season with a disappointing loss to Albany.

“I think that got our confidence back,” Amato said.

It helped that Arizona finally had some shots find the back of the net. The Wildcats scored just one goal in their first two games before unloading for six against Houston Baptist.

“Sometimes goals come in bunches,” Amato said. “Against Albany were weren’t able to put the ball in the back of the net. If you push forward to Irvine, that’s just a hard-fought game. There aren’t going to be a lot of goals in that game. ... Against HBU, if you look at some of the goals, (there were) volleys out of the air, half-volleys on the run, pretty unbelievable finishes. Is that going to happen all the time? You hope so, but you’re going to have to score some scrappy goals as well and sometimes win 1-0 and we’re prepared to do that and happy to do that.”

While scoring has been a challenge at times, Arizona’s offense hasn’t exactly been struggling. They are averaging 20.3 shots per game, with nearly half of them being on frame. Arizona took 17 and 14 shots against Albany and UC Irvine, respectively, before peppering 30 against Houston Baptist.

“We’ve had a lot of chances where the goalkeeper will make a save and it’s us being able to place it or figure out when it’s the right time to hit it instead of place it,” said UA forward Brooke Wilson, who scored her first career goal Sunday. “Just that final shot or execution pass, we have to get those down.”

Neither Southeast Missouri State (1-2) nor New Hampshire (2-2) are particularly good, but a lot is at stake in Tempe. Arizona cannot afford another loss to a mid-major, though you can bet their opponents are eager to hand them one.

“You always come in with a target on your back in those games,” McGarry said. “They want to prove themselves. They want to show that they are a top team and can compete against the highest level, and I take that as a challenge. I always go out like ‘no, we are a Pac-12 team. We’re Arizona soccer for a reason.’”

Moreover, coming away with two victories is crucial because Arizona has two challenging matches against Boise State and Baylor — who made the Elite Eight last year — looming next weekend.

Drop a game or two in Tempe and those would become must-win games.

“I think it’s always important that you win the game in front of you, but if we can win the weekend and get both victories then that sets you up for a good weekend and some momentum and confidence next week,” Amato said. “That doesn’t automatically mean you’re going to play well next week, but winning definitely solves a lot of problems so we’re looking to do that this weekend and that will push us to the Boise State game.”

The Wildcats had a dispiriting performance in last year’s Sun Devil Desert Classic, falling 2-1 to UCF before a 1-1 draw against Boston University.

The loss to UCF, ranked No. 24 at the time, was especially demoralizing. Arizona trotted out 21 different players to try to stay fresh in the unrelenting heat, but collapsed late by surrendering two goals in the final 13 minutes of regulation.

Don’t expect them to wear down this time.

“I think we’re going to have a lot more substitutions because it will be so hot, but we have such a deep team that it won’t really matter,” Wilson said. “We have three sets of forwards, three sets of midfielders. … I think we’ll be fine.”

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Arizona releases depth chart for BYU game

Arizona volleyball looks to stay undefeated as the Cactus Classic kicks off

The 2018 Wildcats have their debut at McKale against Lipscomb, San Diego State, and the Pacific

Playing three matches in less than 48 hours is a tough ask of college volleyball players. The fatigue and the pain take their toll on both on the court and off.

“I’m ready to collapse every time,” said Arizona junior middle blocker Devyn Cross. “Tendonitis in my knees doesn’t necessarily help, so it’s pretty much my body is just kind of like...you need to go lay down for the next two days and not doing anything, which is usually what happens. I’ll just spend the rest of Saturday and Sunday laying in bed.”

Cross and her teammates pushed through it last weekend, though, getting off to a 3-0 start to season at the Hornet Invitational. This weekend, they will do it again as they play their home opener in their own tournament, the Cactus Classic.

Last weekend, the Wildcats started very strong, but had more difficulty as the tournament progressed, being pushed to five sets by Utah State and winning a four-set match marred by a low hitting percentage and long rallies. Arizona head coach Dave Rubio felt that was something that will help the team in the coming weeks.

“I think all the teams right now around the country are trying to figure out how are they going to fix the deficiencies that they have, the holes that they have,” he said. “But I thought it was a good tournament for us. I thought it was really a solid way for us to compete at the right level of teams. They pushed us and it wasn’t easy for us. I didn’t want to schedule a team that wasn’t going to be a threat for us and that’s what happened. We had to really play and it was a struggle for us at times.”

Senior OH Kendra Dahlke was the star on offense, maintaining a consistent brilliance through all three matches. The ability to stay mentally strong was the difference in the close sets, according to Rubio.

“The numbers she put up were as good as any outside hitter I’ve ever had,” he said. “I mean, when you get 60 attempts, 28 kills and four errors. Those are just for the weekend. I mean, those are just terrific numbers and it’s about next weekend, though, for everybody. Not so much what happened last weekend, but we’ll certainly take it and she was the reason why we were able to close out those close matches. She gave us stability out there. If you look back a year ago, she really struggled with all those sets and, as a result, we struggled, but instead she’s got the emotional mental awareness now and maturity to be able to handle the difficulties when she may not be playing as well. So, you know, you just kinda keep hoping that she continued to do what you did last weekend.”

While Rubio praised her ability to carry the team when needed, he also stressed that it’s important that they have other options.

“That’s one of the things we’re trying to figure out is how to score more other than Kendra,” he said. “Kendra right now serving and scoring at a terrific clip, but we’ve got to get more balls in the middle. Got to score more through the center of the court.”

As they prepare to face Lipscomb, San Diego State, and Pacific beginning Friday morning, the team hopes to cut down on some of the issues they faced last weekend by keeping the rallies shorter.

“Probably what needs to improve on that we’ve talked about most, really, is just being able to finish rallies instead of keeping them going so long, being able to execute quicker,” Cross said. “Our passing was phenomenal. Our serving was great. It’s probably just being able to execute sooner rather than later.”

To do that, they will need to prepare for three tough teams that will be looking to put big wins of their own on the board.

“The teams that are coming in are very good,” Rubio said. “I mean, Lipscomb, we obviously lost to last year. They beat Iowa, Big 10 and very good program, and they beat SMU also. And so that’s the first match at 10:00. And so they’re going to give us everything we can handle. And then San Diego state is loaded with talent. I mean somewhat surprising that they’ve struggled this last weekend, but they’re really, really loaded with talent. The Pacific very, very good as well. So it’s going to be, I think, a step up for us. I think everyone kind of gets an idea of what their team needs for the following week and start working on those things.”

Let’s meet the teams.

Lipscomb University Bisons (2-0, ASUN)

The Cactus Classic will start with a 10 am match between Arizona and Lipscomb out of the Atlantic Sun Conference. As Rubio noted, the private Christian university in Nashville has fielded a team that is known for getting wins against much bigger schools in major conferences--including Arizona.

The Bisons come in a perfect 2-0 after taking down SMU and Iowa last weekend at their own LUV Invitational. Lipscomb swept the Mustangs and pulled out a five-set win versus the Hawkeyes. In their lone exhibition match this season, they pushed Tennessee to five sets before losing.

They come into the Cactus Classic ranked as the No. 11 mid-major team by Volleyballmag.com. PrepVolleyball tags them as the No. 28 team in the country in a projection of the teams that could end up in the NCAA Tournament.

Being able to not only challenge but beat teams from strong volleyball conferences isn’t new for Lipscomb, either. Last season, Arizona went to the LUV Invitational as the No. 24 team in the country, and was promptly dismissed with a 3-1 loss to the Bisons.

By season’s end, Lipscomb had a 16-13 overall record and went 8-6 in conference. Their season ended against first-seeded Kennesaw State. They wound up No. 85 in the RPI, almost 20 spots higher than Arizona.

In their attempt at keeping Arizona from getting revenge for last season’s loss, the Bisons will rely heavily on ASUN Player of the Week and preseason Player-of-the-Year selection Carlyle Nusbaum. The senior outside hitter took the honor for a record 10th time last week after the wins over SMU and Iowa.

Last season, Nusbaum finished fourth in Division I by putting down 5.22 kills and amassing 5.57 points per set. Only one other player in ASUN history has a higher kills per set average. She had 522 kills for the season, putting her atop the ASUN for the stat and 17th in the country.

In addition to Nusbaum, head coach Brandon Rosenthal has twelve returning players. Over half of them have at least some experience as starters, while a third played at least 100 sets last season.

The Bisons were picked to finish third in the ASUN preseason poll.

San Diego State Aztecs (1-2, MWC)

Unlike Lipscomb, San Diego State came out flat in their home tournament, going 1-2 in the Aztec Invitational last weekend. The Aztecs were also picked to finish third in their conference, the Mountain West, but have some work to do to fulfill the coaches’ faith in them after dropping matches to Portland and Cal State Bakersfield.

Last season, SDSU finished 16-15 with a 10-8 conference record, but ended up No. 142 in RPI. Their season ended with a loss to Colorado State, who was ranked 24th in the AVCA poll.

The loss also saw the ends of the careers of three all-conference performers. The Aztecs placed two players on the All-MWC team and two more received honorable mention nods. Of the four, only Deja Harris returns. Gone are fellow All-MWC honoree Devyn Pritchard and honorable mention selections Baylee Little and Alexis Cage.

Fortunately for SDSU, Harris is a special player. She is looking to become the first Aztec to make the All-MWC team all four years. She is currently one of only three players who have received three such honors over their careers. The conference coaches certainly believe she can do it, as she was one of the seven players on the preseason all-conference team.

If last season is an indication, teams will need to focus on stopping Harris. She was the only player in the MWC who was in the top seven of points per set (3.84), blocks per set (1.28), and hitting percentage (.344).

In addition to Harris, the Aztecs return 9 other players. They added five transfers--including two former PAC-12 athletes--and five freshmen.

University of the Pacific Tigers (1-2, WCC)

The Pacific Tigers are spending their second weekend in Arizona, having played in the Sun Devil Classic last week. The Tigers dropped matches to New Mexico State and ASU in Tempe, while picking up a win against the University of Texas-Arlington.

The Tigers went 17-14 last season with a 11-7 record in the West Coast Conference. With an RPI of 99, they earned a berth in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) tournament, where they were one of eight hosts. They lost to UC Irvine in a five-setter in the second round.

The WCC team had seven athletes who played in at least 100 sets last season, but are an extremely young team this year. Head coach Greg Gibbons’ roster features eleven players, eight of whom are underclassmen.

With only 11 athletes, the Tigers also have less depth than the teams they will face this weekend. In comparison, Lipscomb has a 15-player roster, SDSU lists 21, and Arizona has 20.

The Tigers’ returners are led by a pair of sophomores, setter Hanne de Schrijver and OH Kaitlyn Lines. De Schrijver came to Stockton from the club system in Belgium, where she competed against top European competition. She was named to the WCC All-Freshman team last year after posting 7.14 assists and 1.88 digs per set in a total of 106 sets. Lines had 161 kills in 83 sets played last season.

How to watch

The matches will be streamed on Arizona Live Stream at https://pac-12.com/live/university-arizona.

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BYU fans want you to stop talking about their football team’s age

They kinda have a point, but it’s still fun to poke the Cougar

Every year, the BYU Cougars have several players who are much older than your typical student-athlete.

Starting quarterback Tanner Mangum, for instance, will turn 25 in early September, making him older than some NFL quarterbacks. His counterpart on Saturday, Arizona QB Khalil Tate, is only 19.

Of course, the reason for this is many BYU players serve two-year missions as members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Per the school, 65 percent of BYU’s roster has served a mission.

Those players have six years to play four. Student-athletes usually have five years to play four. Some view that as an advantage for BYU, since it gives their players more time to mature physically and mentally by the time their football careers end.

But how much does it actually help? Probably not as much as you think. Missionaries work seven days a week for two years, meaning they aren’t exactly out there lifting weights and running corner routes.

“I served a mission and have never been the same in terms of athletics,” one BYU fan told me this week. “No sports, very limited exercise, not great nutrition depending where you are. I was in a third-world area for much of mine. Lost muscle, lost explosiveness, lost speed. Some/most can recapture their prior athletic level, but by no means does it give an added advantage. If anything, it’s a physical disadvantage, in my opinion.”

Still, you can’t talk about BYU football without someone mentioning the team’s age and how it makes them a difficult team to play.

“We addressed it early, there will be some older guys,” Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin said this week. “Heck, I remember when Tanner (Mangum) the quarterback, the first year he started. It seems like a long time ago, it was.”

(Mangum’s first start was actually just three seasons ago, which is normal for a senior quarterback, so that is an odd comment by Sumlin.)

Then UA wide receiver Cedric Peterson added this later in the week: “The Mormons are a little bit older than most teams we play against, but the main thing is their D-line. They’ve got a few bigger bodies up there that we haven’t really seen, but I think we can handle them.”

I tweeted these quotes out the other day and BYU fans were not too fond of them, and they do have a point. The average age of the BYU roster is 21.5, per the school’s game notes. Nothing too outlandish. (And again, is that even an advantage?)

Additionally, BYU fans cited a CBS article that says BYU’s average age is 23.5 and Arizona’s is 23.3 — not much difference — but those figures are probably inaccurate on both accounts, especially when you consider that CBS lists Arizona State’s average age as 24.7, which is absurd.

Either way, BYU fans want you to stop talking about how old their team is:

Hate this argument. Whenever BYU is good, it's bc they're older. When they're bad, their age plays no relevance. With missionaries leaving at 18 yrs old, its only 1 year older than the average. 2 years off of practice to gain a 1 year advantage=no advantage.

— Patrick Dabel (@dabel07) August 29, 2018

just remind them that that huge age advantage went 4-9 last year. c'mon man.

— Chad Stewart (@chadstewart_79) August 29, 2018

Let him know our average age is 23...and so is Arizona's

— Academics!!! (@Y4LYFE) August 29, 2018

A little older, as in 0.2 years older on average this year.

— OldschoolBYU (@OldSchoolBYU) August 29, 2018

That was so awesome how much that age advantage helped BYU beat Bama last year in CFP
Oh wait we went 4-9 so not much of an advantage? Lol

— Russell Grizz (@Grizzfather) August 28, 2018

I, too, remember when he was a freshman exactly 4 years ago

— BYU News Feed (@byu_undefeated) August 27, 2018

Death, taxes, opposing coaches commenting on BYU’s old guys.

BYU’s 2018 average roster age is 21.5 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ https://t.co/K2b615XLBE

— Robby McCombs (@rtmccombs) August 27, 2018

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Q&A with Vanquish the Foe: Expert breaks down BYU

What to expect from the Cougars in Arizona’s season opener

The Arizona Wildcats’ 2018 football campaign is only days away, and excitement is at a fever pitch thanks to quarterback Khalil Tate and new coach Kevin Sumlin.

With the season opener against the BYU Cougars looming, we asked Mary Blanchard of Vanquish the Foe, BYU’s SB Nation site, for what to expect on Saturday night from the Cougars.

Last year was BYU’s worst season in a decade, going 4-9, and it seemed to come out of nowhere. Was that a glitch or a sign of trouble for Kalani Sitake?

This is a hard, multifaceted question, and there are a lot of theories out there about it, for sure. BYU is definitely a unique place with unique limitations, as a private Mormon school, and you could definitely say that contributed. While debates of BYU’s ceiling or systemic issues could be had, I’ll choose to be an optimist and say last season was a glitch. Sitake is a great coach, who the players love, and who I trust to learn from his mistakes. I don’t think we’ll be going undefeated this season, but I’m thinking the ship will get at least somewhat righted.

What are BYU’s strengths and weaknesses this year?

On paper, we look pretty solid. I was excited to see our depth chart released and going through it, I feel pretty good about most positions. I would say my main concern for weakness, and probably a lot of the fan base’s, might be that our quarterback competition just ended last week, and it was between a senior (Tanner Mangum) and a true freshman (Zach Wilson). A little disconcerting.

We’re returning a lot of starters, which could be viewed as both a strength and a weakness, I suppose, but we’re supplementing the roster with a bunch of recruits we’ve been looking forward to for a while here. I’m hoping (Lopini) Katoa will be a strength at running back. For the first time in awhile we have a solid kicker, Skyler Southam, who I’m hoping will be a strength. Matt Bushman (from Tucson’s Sabino High School) is a returner, not new at tight end, but is a monster athlete and will hopefully be a strength, and an easy, reliable target for Mangum.

What is the general consensus about Tanner Mangum as quarterback in Provo?

It’s pretty much the BYU fan base’s norm to never have a consensus about QB. “The grass is always greener” has been our motto for a solid five years, if not longer. Even when we had freak athlete Taysom Hill, who’s doing great for the Saints now, people were calling for Mangum to start. Last year, when Mangum was starting, fans were calling for Beau Hoge or Joe Critchlow.

In the weeks leading up to the announcement of Mangum, I’d honestly say the fan base was probably split down the middle. There are a lot who are ready for new blood, figure it can’t be worse than it was, and want to see what Wilson can do. But there are also many fans who are hoping to see some redemption for Mangum’s career (myself included), and feel that the seniority should be respected. Since the announcement was officially made, I think most are on board with Mangum. But I wouldn’t be surprised if mutiny broke out after the first series of the game on Saturday.

Who else besides Mangum will be a leader for the Cougars this season?

I think we’ve got a lot of good leaders on our squad! I already mentioned Matt Bushman, who is an underclassman, but someone who is definitely looked up to. I think senior RB Squally Canada will be another guy the team looks to. We’ve got Butch Pau’u, a senior linebacker who was a captain last year, who is super vocal on defense. Lastly, I would say Corbin Kaufusi, a quietly confident defensive lineman who gave up playing basketball at BYU to focus on playing football full time. He’s a super friendly guy that I could definitely see the defense rallying around, and he was named a captain Monday (As was Pau’u).

What worries you about Arizona?

When I think about this, my answer is that you guys are probably just accustomed to a higher level of competition. After a tough year, I’d love to be playing a soft team … not a team that’s usually a Pac-12 contender. And despite any late-year struggles last year, Khalil Tate definitely still scares me. It is fun to watch that man play football. But not when it is against your own team.

How badly does BYU need this win to start the season?

We need it REALLY badly. Not just the team, but the whole fan base. Hope is running super, super low, and a win against Arizona would definitely give us something to believe in, while a loss would let us very easily back into our respective pits of despair.

Last but not least, score prediction for the game?

Oh man. I hate to be that person, but I have not yet completely crawled out of my own personal pit of despair from last season. 28-21, Arizona? (I wanted to say 28-14, but I tried really hard to put my homer glasses back on and spotted my team another TD)

---

We also answered questions about Arizona over at Vanquish The Foe. Check our their site to those answers.

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5 BYU Cougars to watch vs. Arizona

VIDEO: Arizona WRs Shawn Poindexter, Cedric Peterson on BYU, Khalil Tate and more

Arizona Wildcats wide receivers Shawn Poindexter and Cedric Peterson met with the media Tuesday to discuss Saturday’s opener against BYU, Khalil Tate, and more.

Poindexter also revealed his plans for life after football, and they are awesome. Here are the full interviews with the UA receivers.

Shawn Poindexter

Wide receiver Shawn Poindexter wants to help at-risk youth once his time with Arizona Football is up

Posted by AZ Desert Swarm on Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Cedric Peterson

Wide receiver Cedric Peterson talks about his development, “the Mormons” and other things leading up to Arizona Football’s opener vs. BYU

Posted by AZ Desert Swarm on Wednesday, August 29, 2018

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Former Arizona QB Brandon Dawkins cites mental health in stepping away from football

Gary Brightwell could be Arizona’s secret weapon on offense

The sophomore running back has also spent time at slot receiver

Gary Brightwell has moved around quite a bit over the past two years, whether it be traveling across the country from Pennsylvania to play for the Arizona Wildcats or shifting back and forth between different offensive position groups.

When Arizona opens the 2018 season on Saturday night against BYU we might finally get to see how Brightwell moves in a game situation, and with the ball in his hands.

“Hopefully I play,” Brightwell said Tuesday, seemingly unaware of the fact offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and several teammates have noted his progress during the offseason.

The 6-foot-1, 206-pound sophomore is expected to be Arizona’s No. 2 tailback to start the season behind sophomore J.J. Taylor. That’s the position he was recruited to Tucson to play but where he’s yet to get a touch, instead seeing the field only on special teams last year as a true freshman.

Brightwell spent most of last season working as a slot receiver, a move he requested because Arizona was “kind of backed up at running back” with Taylor, Nick Wilson, Zach Green and Nathan Tilford getting all the work. But when he returned to the team this spring, the new coaching staff had decided RB was where he was most needed with Wilson and Green graduating.

“I didn’t have a choice,” he said. “I came back and I was in the running back room. That’s what I’m going to be. I can honestly play receiver and I can running back. It’s a blessing. Wherever the coaches put me, I can play regardless.”

Though he never recorded any numbers at the slot, Brightwell’s time there and the skills he picked up could pay off this fall. It’s expected that Arizona will utilize its running backs in the pass game more often after that group logged just 13 receptions in 2017.

Brightwell said he expects as such, but that’s still not the main priority for he and other ball carriers on pass plays.

“Protection is the most important for the running backs,” he said.

Brightwell is the second most-famous athlete Arizona has recruited out of Chester, Pa., the first being Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The Wildcats were one of just two FBS programs to offer him a scholarship, nearby Temple the other.

The lack of offers isn’t motivation, Brightwell said.

“You can have the most offers in the world but you can only pick one at the end of the day,” he said.

Here’s Arizona Football running back Gary Brightwell on his role in the offense, moving back from wide receiver and more

Posted by AZ Desert Swarm on Tuesday, August 28, 2018

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Arizona adds walk-on Alec Spence to 2018-19 roster

The 6-foot-6 guard hails from St. Louis

The Arizona Wildcats have added walk-on Alec Spence to their roster, it was announced Wednesday.

Spence is a 6-foot-6 freshman guard from St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School where he averaged 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game while earning Metro League Player of the Year honors as a senior.

As a junior, Spence helped guide the Rams to a 19-9 record and a third consecutive district title game appearance.

Spence will wear No. 50, last worn by the legendary Jacob Hazzard.

Here are Spence’s 2017-18 midseason highlights:

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Arizona safety Isaiah Hayes has grown ‘tremendously’ from shoulder injury

Isaiah Hayes describes his shoulder as if it were a ticking time bomb.

He first started having shoulder pain in high school and it carried over into his freshman season with the Arizona Wildcats, though he was able to play through it — and well.

Hayes started in seven games at free safety in 2016, racking up 38 tackles, the sixth-most on the team.

“But over time,” Hayes said, “I knew something was going to happen eventually and that I was gonna have to get (my shoulder) worked on and looked at.”

That “something” happened sometime in fall camp last August. Hayes cannot pinpoint the exact moment the metaphorical detonation happened, but his shoulder injury worsened and he found out he needed season-ending surgery after having it examined.

Hayes said getting that news was the darkest moment of the ordeal.

“It’s hard to sit out a season because you work so hard during the offseason and put in so much time and fatigue physically out there on the field,” he said.

“You become discouraged, you have your days where you’re up, when you’re down. It’s a challenge because you feel like, ‘why you?’ You feel like all your hard work was for nothing for a little bit. But as you go on, you start realizing how much of a positive it is for you.”

Hayes credited his family, UA coaches and trainers, and several teammates — including his roommates Tristan Cooper, J.J. Taylor, and Lorenzo Burns — for uplifting him throughout the rehab process.

Mostly, though, Hayes liked to spend time alone.

“I spent a lot of time by myself, a lot of time saying my prayers and just channeling good energy and positive energy because it’s good to have your mental right in those times of distress and discouragement,” he said.

There were plenty of moments that tested his patience, like when he had to watch road games alone from his couch, but he thinks the wait will be worth it. Hayes said the injury has helped him improve “tremendously” as a player and person.

“There were some times some days I would get down on myself and some days I’d be angry with the process because it takes a long time, but I felt like it helped me give me some more time to get my body ready and more importantly my mental ready,” said Hayes, who said he now weighs 195 pounds after playing at 170 as a freshman.

Even though Hayes did not play last season, he still attended team meetings and watched film so that he could sharpen his football acumen. He knows how important that side of the game is thanks to his father, Chris, who spent nine seasons in the NFL.

“My dad always tells me it’s 90 percent mental,” the younger Hayes said. “Him playing at that next level and going to the places I’m trying to go, I actually saw that from a firsthand perspective. And mentally, physically and spiritually I just transformed as a player. I wouldn’t even say I regret getting that injury. I’m actually glad it happened because it helped me more than it hurt me.”

Hayes was not cleared to return to the field until May, which means he missed all of spring practice. Still, he said it has been easy to get back on the field this fall.

“I don’t feel like there’s any hesitancy because I spent all that time working for this moment now and all this offseason preparing my mind and preparing my spiritual and what I was going to do,” he said.

“So on the field I hit the ground running, it’s just a 100 miles per hour and just going full speed. I’ve got the jitters out, I’ve hit with my shoulder so I’m 100 percent healthy and I’m just glad to be back out there.”

Arizona opens the 2018 season Saturday at home against BYU and it remains to be seen where Hayes sits on the depth chart, which should be released sometime this week.

Hayes should be a major contributor, but perhaps not the starter he once was. Redshirt sophomore Jarrius Wallace is a strong candidate to take over at free safety after making three starts there last season while Hayes was sidelined.

But that’s the least of Hayes’ worries right now.

“I don’t really sit there and worry about the depth chart,” he said. “I just go out there and perfect my mistakes each and every day and take my game to a whole ‘nother level and just work on what I can to better the team and better those around me. Everything else, God’s going to handle. I’m just blessed for the opportunity.”

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Arizona’s offensive line has ‘a lot of new faces ... but we’re a hard-working group’

VIDEO: Arizona S Isaiah Hayes on returning from shoulder injury, the darkest moment in his recovery, and more

Isaiah Hayes made an immediate impact as a true freshman in 2016, making seven starts for the Arizona Wildcats at free safety and finishing sixth on the team in tackles (38).

However, Hayes was unable to build on that in 2017 after he suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in fall camp. Now, Hayes is healthy and ready to reclaim a prominent role with the Wildcats, who open the 2018 season Saturday against the BYU Cougars.

We talked with Hayes about his injury, what his recovery was like, and lots more on Tuesday. Here is the full interview:

Arizona safety Isaiah Hayes is ready to get back on the field after he sat out all of last season with a shoulder injury.

Posted by AZ Desert Swarm on Tuesday, August 28, 2018

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What Arizona players are saying about BYU

Arizona volleyball: Dave Rubio, Kendra Dahlke and Devyn Cross preview Cactus Classic and reflect on Hornet Invitational

The Wildcats are 3-0 heading into the Cactus Classic this weekend

The Arizona volleyball team will play its first matches at home this weekend when it hosts the Cactus Classic.

The Wildcats will face Lipscomb and San Diego State on Friday before closing out the tournament Saturday against Pacific.

Arizona is 3-0 to start the season, beating Cal State Northridge, Utah State and Sacramento State in the Hornet Invitational last weekend in Sacramento.

UA senior outside hitter Kendra Dahlke was the tournament’s MVP, racking up 67 kills in the three matches with a .370 hitting percentage. It was the first time in her career that she had 20 or more kills in consecutive matches.

Setter Julia Patterson and Devyn Cross were also named to the all-tournament team. We caught up with Dahlke, Cross, and head coach Dave Rubio to discuss the Hornet Invitational and what’s ahead this weekend in the Cactus Classic.

Here are their respective interviews:

Dave Rubio

Arizona Volleyball coach Dave Rubio reflects on winning the Hornet Invitational and Kendra Dahlke being named tournament MVP + previews the Cactus Classic

Posted by AZ Desert Swarm on Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Kendra Dahlke

Senior Kendra Dahlke posted 20+ kills in consecutive matches for the first time in her career last weekend as Arizona Volleyball won the Hornet Invitational. She was named tournament MVP.

Posted by AZ Desert Swarm on Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Devyn Cross

Devyn Cross made the all-tournament team as Arizona Volleyball won the Hornet Invitational. She had 23 kills and 12 blocks in three matches.

Posted by AZ Desert Swarm on Tuesday, August 28, 2018

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Arizona tweaks 2018-19 nonconference basketball schedule

Georgia Southern replaces Texas Southern on pre-Pac 12 slate

When the Arizona Wildcats released their nonconference schedule for the 2018-19 season it wasn’t particularly impressive, with only six of 13 contests against power-league opponents and just one of those set for McKale Center.

That’s still the case, but after a slight change the overall quality of the slate has improved. Emphasis on ‘slight.’

SCHEDULE CHANGE: We will now face Georgia Southern in McKale Center on Thursday, Nov. 29. This will replace our Wednesday, Nov. 28 game vs. Texas Southern. pic.twitter.com/UIqf8JzL9s

— Arizona Basketball (@APlayersProgram) August 28, 2018

Georgia Southern went 21-12 last season, posting an 11-7 record in the Sun Belt Conference for third place. The Eagles are set to return three starters including leading scorer Tookie Brown, a 5-foot-11 guard who averaged 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists as a junior.

The Eagles were ranked No. 143 in the final RPI, 69 spots higher than Texas Southern, meaning they should provide a bit of a boost to Arizona’s overall schedule strength this season. How much, though, remains to be seen since the NCAA has scrapped RPI in favor of a new metric known as NET.

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5 Arizona Wildcats to watch vs. BYU

Some new faces will be in big roles

The Arizona Wildcats are under a week away from facing the BYU Cougars to kick off the 2018 season.

The new coaching staff, a load of returning youngsters and a favorable schedule make this a highly anticipated season.

Also adding to the excitement are guys who are expected to play big roles this season after a long off-season of hype.

Here are five players to watch on Saturday night.

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Shawn Poindexter

Well, this is it for Poindexter, as he enters his third season at Arizona. The 6-foot-5 mystery receiver on National Signing Day in 2015 and has totaled just 25 catches for 376 yards and a touchdown in two seasons.

He has the size you crave as a go-to outside receiver but the production just hasn’t been there. However, there was some chemistry brewing late last season between him and Khalil Tate.

Tate has excellent touch on the deep ball and Poindexter provides a clear height mismatch. It’s hard to expect a 100-yard game to open the season, but you’re hoping the two get in rhythm against BYU and open up the rest of the offense.

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Gary Brightwell

Nathan Tilford had his chance, but it was Gary Brightwell who stepped up for the No. 2 running back spot, despite being ranked 1,455 spots below Tilford in the 2017 recruiting rankings.

But Brightwell serves as an all-purpose back, and will be getting a significant amount of carries and looks out of the backfield in Noel Mazzone’s offense.

J.J. Taylor is the go-to guy, but Brightwell is going to be a big part of the offense and could hit the century mark in yardage against BYU.

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PJ Johnson

If there’s an immediate impact player from the 2018 recruiting class, it’s junior college transfer PJ Johnson.

The 6-foot-4, 335-pound defensive lineman is coming off a great fall camp and will likely be starting at nose guard to occupy and disrupt the gaps for the young core of linebackers behind him.

Marcel Yates needs significant improvement on defense and getting things going up front will certainly help.

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Tim Hough

Arizona lost Jhevon Hill and Tony Wallace to academics late in the summer, but suddenly landed UNLV grad transfer Tim Hough, who was set to enroll at Oregon.

There are very few options at corner for Arizona right now, and despite missing the first week o fall camp due to the admissions process, he will still likely get thrown into action against BYU.

Hough is an experienced corner and a well-rounded package. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him push Lorenzo Burns for the starting role this season.

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Dylan Klumph

There weren’t too many good things to say about the punt team last season. Poor long snapping and bad punts put Arizona in awful position to win games.

Now they have both a solidified long snapper with Nick Reinhardt returning from injury and Cal graduate transfer Dylan Klumph happens to be one of the best punters in the Pac-12.

He averaged nearly 44 yards a punt at Cal and says the dry air and elevation are favorable for punting, giving Arizona a much-needed boost on special teams.

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