Claire C. Laurence/Arizona Daily Wildcat Senior outside hitter Kim Glass was named tournament MVP at the Rhode Island Invitational this weekend in Kingston, R.I., averaging 3.9 kills, 3.2 digs and 1.2 blocks in the three matches.

En route to winning the Rhode Island Invitational this weekend in Kingston, R.I., the No. 20 Arizona volleyball team earned head coach Dave Rubio the honor of being the winningest coach in program history.

The Wildcats (8-1) defeated North Carolina three games to one Saturday afternoon (30-19, 22-30, 30-23, 33-31) after sweeping Connecticut and Rhode Island on Friday.

Senior outside hitter Kim Glass was named tournament MVP, averaging 3.9 kills, 3.2 digs and 1.2 blocks in the three matches. Fellow senior outside hitters Jennifer Abernathy and Bre Ladd were also named to the all-tournament team.

Abernathy averaged 3.5 kills and 3.6 digs, while Ladd hit .667 and averaged 2.4 kills and 1.3 blocks.

Sophomore setter Amy Dyck, playing for the injured Stephanie Butkus, had a career-high 56 assists against the Tar Heels to go along with 13 digs. She also contributed seven kills and three blocks.

“Just the fact that we had a week with Amy was good for us,” said Arizona head coach Dave Rubio. “(It was good) that Amy had a chance to get with the starters and feel like what it was like to be a full-time setter. Amy was more comfortable on the floor. She did a nice job this weekend.”

Abernathy paced the Arizona attack, collecting 19 kills and 21 digs, while Glass had 15 kills, nine digs and five blocks. Ladd finished with 10 kills and six blocks, while junior opposite hitter Kristina Baum added 12 kills and nine digs.

Rubio added that Arizona showed significant improvement in both setting and blocking since the Bronco Invitational last weekend.

“I felt like our effort level was better,” he said. “We improved, which is a good sign for us.”

In Arizona’s victory Friday over Connecticut (30-27, 30-22, 30-12), Rubio earned his 259th career win in his 14-year tenure with the Wildcats, breaking the record held by Rosie Wegrich, who coached the Wildcats from 1977-1991.

“I don’t really know what to feel, other than to get ready for the next match,” Rubio said. “When all things are said and done, it will be nice to look back and see what I’ve accomplished, knowing full well it was a complete effort from coaching staff, players and administration.”

Dyck had 34 assists, while freshman libero Brittany Leonard had a team-high nine digs.

Sophomore middle blocker Dominique Lamb tallied a career-high 10 kills with no errors on 12 attempts for a .833 hitting percentage.

Ladd was equally impressive, as she added eight kills and no errors for a .800 clip. She also had four blocks.

The Wildcats brought down the Rams (30-23, 30-21, 30-24) Friday night, as Arizona out-hit Rhode Island .388 to .155. The Wildcats had nine blocks to the Rams’ three and tallied eight service aces on the match.

The Wildcats return to McKale Center to begin Pacific 10 Conference play against Oregon State Friday at 7 p.m.

“It’s always a sense of in trepidation starting the Pac-10 season with how tough the Pac-10 is,” Rubio said. “I think Oregon and Oregon State are going to be terrific. I think we have to be ready to play and on top our game. In the past several years, those teams have been in the bottom half of our conference. They’re making steps forward to be in the top half of our conference. We need to be prepared and ready to go this weekend.”

— Compiled with information from a press release.