CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Freshman setter Stephanie Butkus attempts to keep a ball in play during the Wildcats three set sweep of Arizona State at McKale Center Saturday night.

For the second match in a row against Arizona State, Arizona volleyball jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead. But this time, the end results were quite a bit different.

Arizona (10-11, 4-6 Pacific 10 Conference) swept the Sun Devils (8-11, 3-7) after winning the first two games and ending the match in three after allowing a three-game rally to ASU in Tempe last month.

"(Allowing a comeback) was not an option," said sophomore middle blocker Bre Ladd about the possibility of a repeat rally. "You remember games like that."

Arizona won game one going away, 30-17, and managed to hold off the Sun Devils in game two, 30-26. The Wildcats wasted no time in closing out the visitors in the third, 30-25.

Arizona held ASU to a .121 hitting percentage in the match.

"We knew what we had to do," said sophomore outside hitter Jennifer Abernathy.

True freshman Stephanie Butkus received the start at setter and played the entire game, tallying 36 assists.

"Obviously, we're playing better in a couple different areas where we've been lacking before. Our passing is better, and our setting is significantly better," said UA head coach Dave Rubio. "Tonight was Stephanie Butkus' best night. That one position influences so much in determining the outcome of every rally, and therefore, determining the outcome of every single match."

Butkus started the season as the starting setter but lost her job after fifth-year senior Kelly Griffin-Halfaker came off the bench to lead Arizona to an upset of then-No. 8 UCLA in Los Angeles.

"As much as I was down on her before, I'm singing her praises now," Rubio said of Butkus. "She was very composed and very self-assured. It never looked like she was struggling, and (I) always felt she was under control."

Arizona had just had 13 attack errors in the match, compared to ASU's 26.

"The setter is the most important position," Ladd said. "You can have people who can absolutely destroy balls, but it's the process of getting the ball to that area that really matters."

Outside hitter Kim Glass had 18 kills while posting a .343 hitting percentage, leaving her 16 kills away from being the first Wildcat to reach 1,000 kills in just her

sophomore year. Ladd had 10 kills, hitting a match-high .471.

"I think we set everybody now, enough to keep the other teams honest," Abernathy said. "Our offense is spread out a lot better, and that makes us a better team."

Abernathy had four of the UA's seven service aces. Arizona also posted 10 blocks, led by a match-high five block assists from Ladd and Glass.

"I think we are at the point now where we are all working together all the time," Abernathy said.

The Wildcats now have nine matches remaining to improve their record and try to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, beginning with road matches against Stanford and California coming up Thursday and Friday. Arizona hosts UCLA and Southern California the following week.

The next four matches mark the second time this season the Wildcats are slated to play four top-10 teams in a row.

"I wish the season was a month longer, because I think the longer the season would go, the better we would continue to be," Rubio said.