KEVIN KLAUS/Arizona Daily Wildcat Shannon Torregrosa (left) and Angie Ayers shored up the middle during the Wildcats' sweep of ASU.

The Arizona volleyball team may have hit a season low when they were swept by their in-state rival Arizona State earlier in the season.

But this weekend was payback.

UA was firing on all cylinders from the start and it dominated every aspect of the match en route to a 3-0 (30-16, 30-18, 30-22) sweep of ASU.

"Nothing is better then beating ASU," freshman middle blocker Bre Ladd said. "We wanted to show that we are a better team than the one they beat, and we did that."

The win moves Arizona (11-7 overall, 6-4 Pacific 10 Conference) into a tie with ASU for third place in the Pac-10, two games behind second-place Stanford.

The Wildcats have won five of their last six matches and it looks like they are beginning to come together as a cohesive unit.

Freshman Kim Glass has been the offensive catalyst for the Wildcats this season, but the improved play of Ladd has been the difference as of late.

With Glass and seniors Lisa Rutledge and Shannon Torregrosa drawing most of the attention from ASU defenders, senior setter Laurie Gardner set Ladd in the first game and that allowed the Wildcats to jump on the Sun Devils early.

Ladd recorded four kills in the first game, and her offensive surge opened up the floor for Glass and other Wildcats attackers.

"The quick kills got me going," Ladd said. "They added some intensity and fire into the match and I think it was a good confidence booster for me to get going early."

Ladd finished the match with 10 kills, second on the team behind Glass, who finished with a match-high 16.

Ladd's 10 kills were important, but the more impressive statistic was her match-high .571 hitting percentage.

"Bre is becoming every bit as effective as anyone on our team," head coach David Rubio said. "My goal is to distribute the ball and have a balanced attack. When Bre is producing, it makes it a lot easier for Kim and our other outside hitters."

Rubio said that Ladd's performance was enhanced by Gardner's effective and creative sets that she was able to make to the Arizona hitters.

"Laurie played great tonight," Rubio said. "She is starting to feel more comfortable in the offense. She has improved so much since the beginning of the season and she is only going to get better."

With Ladd contributing from the middle, the Sun Devils were unable to find any answers for the Arizona outside attackers. The Wildcats finished the match with a season-high .402 hitting percentage, and their play at the net complemented their offensive success greatly. UA out-blocked the Sun Devils 10 to 5.5 and out-dug ASU in the back row 30-18.

"We were really good in just about every aspect," Rubio said. "Our blocking took ASU out of their zone, and they couldn't get anything going."

Arizona will look to build upon its three-game winning streak as it plays host to Washington and Washington State this weekend at McKale Center.