Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a time when families get together at someone's house and enjoy a home-cooked meal with loved ones.

But during the last four years, senior Shannon Torregrosa has been on the road playing volleyball.

Torregrosa and the rest of the volleyball players are preparing to travel to Utah to take on Brigham Young and Utah to conclude the regular season.

That means Arizona is going to be having Thanksgiving dinner at a resort hotel in Utah.

"It isn't the same as going home and being with family, but it is a sacrifice that we have to make," junior Christina Frost said.

Having Thanksgiving dinner is still something special for Torregrosa.

"All that matters is that you are with people that you care about," Torregrosa said. "We are going to be together at a resort, and it will be a lot of fun."

The Wildcats finished the season third in the Pacific 10 Conference, exactly where they were predicted to finish by fellow coaches in the conference.

Southern California won the conference and Stanford finished second.

The real surprise of the season was Washington State, who finished tied with the Wildcats for third.

WSU was picked to finish fifth, right behind UCLA, but with wins this season over Arizona and Stanford, the Cougars were able to catch the Wildcats in the third position.

"Every year, the conference gets better," Frost said. "It used to be that only a few teams were good, but now everyone is. It has been a lot tougher conference this season."

In years past, UCLA, Stanford, USC and Arizona dominated the Pac-10 and the other teams were struggling to stay competitive.

Besides WSU, California and Washington have made the Pac-10 the most balanced conference in the nation.

"This is the strongest the Pac-10 has been since I came to Arizona," head coach David Rubio said. "Every match in this conference is tough, and any team can win on any given night."

Senior Lisa Rutledge, sophomore Angie Ayers and Frost were all recognized by the Pac-10 for their success in the classroom.

Rutledge, who leads UA in digs and is second in kills, was named second team All Pac-10 with a 3.59 cumulative grade point average as a psychology major.

Ayers and Frost received honorable mentions.

To be eligible, a student athlete must be a starter or significant contributor with a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Hard work in the classroom has led to the Wildcats having at least one academic award recipient in each of the past four seasons.

"These awards enforce that academics is a high priority," associate head coach Charita Johnson said.