What do these tidbits tell us?

Don't hit the red alert quite yet.

On the eve of the Four Points University Plaza Wildcat Classic, No. 19 Arizona faces its most telling test of the young season. The Wildcats begin Friday with a bout versus Nicholls State (0-3), followed by a match against No. 9 Pepperdine (1-1) that evening. Further complicating matters is a set against No. 18 Louisville the next morning.

Two ranked teams in two days, plus an underdog thrown in to boot. Not the easiest of early-season slates.

Helping the Wildcats through a trying start continues to be the play of their backups. Cumpston, whose opposite hitter spot was still in question in August, leads the team in digs per game (3) and is a close second in kills per game (3.87) to junior outside hitter Jennifer Abernathy (3.93). Their combined efforts carried this squad in wins over Eastern Washington and San Diego State.

But don't count out Butkus. The Bridgeview, Ill., native exemplifies the production the team has received from its precocious underclassmen. Butkus leads the team with 11.8 assists per game, while fellow sophomore Kristina Baum ranks second in blocks (1).

With Glass gone, these overachievers must fuse with a veteran core to wade its way successfully through the weekend. Abernathy and seniors Cassidy Crum, Jolene Killough and Kelli Mulvany must take charge when appropriate, knowing if and when to reign in their young teammates.

Arizona is a combined 6-7 against Pepperdine and Louisville all-time and has not performed well against either team at home. The Wildcats defeated the Waves 3-1 last August in the Pepperdine Classic, but sport an 0-2 mark against them in McKale Center. Pepperdine lost to top-ranked Southern California Sunday and could be looking for vengeance versus a decidedly lesser opponent.

To stop Louisville, Arizona must derail the Cardinals' twin threats at outside hitter. Stephanie Marsh and Bing Sun both averaged nearly three kills and two digs apiece at the University of Louisville Courtyard by Marriott Tournament last weekend, and each grabbed all-tournament honors. The Cardinals (3-0) swept through a slate of Virginia, Loyola and Jacksonville State and enter having won 15 of its last 17 games.

Battling the impending tide will be a frontline both young and battle-tested. Anchored by Crum and Mulvany, the line features freshman Krista Chin, who, like Butkus, hails from the Prairie State. Chin notched a season-high nine digs against the Tritons, but her linemates combined for only four in the loss. Crum took home the fourth-highest digs-per-game average (9) among her teammates in the tournament and must at least repeat that feat for the Wildcats to close off the net.

But, as always, the goings get rougher for Arizona once conference play begins. The Wildcats start with an away match against No. 12 Stanford on Sept. 23, only to face No. 8 California, No. 3 University of California, Los Angeles and the top-ranked Trojans - in a highly anticipated home date - all by Oct. 3.

These scheduling worries should be abated when Glass returns. Her presence alone should help the team regain the swagger it's lost, provided her All-American arm socket is ready to rain down on the opposition once more.

If it isn't, well, youth will continue to serve. Whether that leads to more promising developments in the coming weeks remains to be seen.

Tom Knauer is a journalism sophomore. He can be reached at sports@wildcat.arizona.edu.