Wildcats two wins away from program history

The UA women's volleyball team's quest to its first-ever NCAA Final Four will face a difficult crossroads tomorrow night in Los Angeles.

The No. 5 Wildcats make their third consecutive and ninth overall appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16 against No. 12 Pacific.

The Tigers enter as one of only four teams that have appeared in all 21 NCAA Championships. Pacific is making its 19th appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16.

"They are a very well-coached team," UA head coach David Rubio said. "They are a seasoned, veteran team that is two years removed from the Final Four. The key for us will be to stay focused on Pacific and not look ahead."

The Wildcats' main focus will be to contain senior Jami Hamm, who has 23 double-doubles this season.

Against Louisville, Pacific's second-round opponent, Hamm dominated the Cardinals with 19 kills and a career-high 30 digs. Currently, Hamm is third all-time in the Big West Conference with 1,642 digs in her four-year career.

The Wildcats (23-4 overall) will also have to contend with sophomore Jennifer Joines, who scorched the Cardinals for a match-high 22 kills. Joines has accumulated 1,010 kills to date in her young career.

To counter Pacific (28-7), the Wildcats will look to senior All-American setter Dana Burkholder.

In the first two tournament games, Burkholder has totaled 101 assists, 20 digs and 13 kills.

UA has also depended on senior workhorse Jill Talbot all season.

Arizona struggled in its second-round match with Illinois, but Talbot rose to the occasion and led the Wildcats with a match-high 18 kills.

The Wildcats have many offensive weapons, but the key for success will depend on the health of junior outside hitter Shannon Torregrosa, who is battling a high ankle sprain that caused her to miss UA's first-round match against Eastern Illinois.

"(Sophomore outside hitter) Christina Frost did a great job filling in for Shannon," junior outside hitter Lisa Rutledge said. "It is easier, though, to play with Shannon because we have played with each other all year. Her return helped our chemistry and spirits."

Arizona and Pacific have faced four common opponents this season: Washington State, UC Santa Barbara - who each team played twice - Louisville and Stanford.

The Tigers went 4-1 against these four opponents, with their only loss coming to Stanford.

UA went 4-2 against these opponents, with its only losses coming to the Cardinal.

The Wildcats have beaten UOP once in seven all-time contests.

"We saw them in spring," Rutledge said. "We know that they are a good team. We just need to go in and stay focused."

UOP head coach Jayne Gibson-McHugh said she expects tomorrow's match to be a big challenge for both programs.

"Arizona is a very talented team, and they are very well-coached," Gibson-McHugh said. "It is going to be a dogfight. Whoever can execute the best will win the match."

She also said that playing in the Big West Conference and Pacific 10 Conference, respectively, has given each team a lot of experience playing against tough opponents.

"Both conferences give each team a lot of experience," Gibson-McHugh said. "The difference in the postseason is that the loser goes home. Handling that pressure will be a something that each team will have to deal with."

The winner of this match will play the winner of Southern California's match against Ohio State.

The fourth-ranked Trojans (24-3) entered their 10th regional by placing second in the Pac-10, behind Stanford. The Women of Troy are led by All-Pac-10 performers April Ross (368 kills, 4.04 kills per game), Katie Olsovsky (218 kills, .390 hitting percentage) and Jennifer Pahl (225 kills, .396 hitting percentage).

Ohio State (17-3) entered the tournament as the No. 13 seed by finishing second in the Big Ten Conference.

The NCAA tournament selection committee has been perfect this year, as the top 16 teams have all advanced.

If both favorites win tomorrow, then the Wildcats will face USC for the third time this season in the NCAA Elite Eight on Friday.

The Trojans defeated the Wildcats 3-0 earlier in the season. But more recently, the Wildcats dismantled the Trojans in Tucson, 3-0.

UA's performance put them ahead of USC in the polls, but Arizona's late-season loss to Stanford gave USC the edge for gaining the No. 4 seed.

Rutledge said the Wildcats can't overlook Pacific.

However, Rutledge said playing USC on the road would be a great challenge.

"No one is disappointed that we did not get to host the regional matches," she said. "Playing USC on their court will be a big challenge for us. Their fans are always talking trash, but we are used to it by now."

With everything on the line, the Wildcats will look to make history this weekend by advancing to their first-ever Final Four.

It all starts tomorrow night.