Wildcat V-ball, Sun Devils set to square off

The No. 19-ranked UA volleyball team takes its 6-0 road record to Tempe tonight at 7 as it takes on the Sun Devils of Arizona State.

With a victory, Arizona (14-2 overall, 6-2, third in the Pacific 10 Conference) can claim its best ever mark for the first half of the Pac-10 season.

"When you play ASU, you throw out all the records and know it's going to be an emotional and physical match," head coach David Rubio said. "It should be interesting to see what happens."

The Sun Devils (7-8, 4-4) are led by sophomore outside hitter Amanda Burbridge, who is third in the Pac-10 in kills per game with 4.81. Junior setter Jolynn Faatulu is fourth in the conference with 12.67 assists per game. And freshman outside hitter Jami Coughlin is first in the conference with 3.78 digs per game.

"I know that ASU is a very good team and that they're certainly capable of beating us," Rubio said. "They're a team that is much better than their record indicates."

Despite a losing mark, the Sun Devils always play Arizona tough, assistant coach Charita Johnson said.

"They always seem to think we're horrible," she said. "No matter how good our record is, no matter how good their record is, it's a competitive match."

On Saturday, the Wildcats return home to play Pittsburgh of the Big East Conference. The match begins at 7 p.m.

"The opportunity for the freshmen to play more was my main motivation for scheduling Pittsburgh," Rubio said.

The Panthers are 10-8 overall, and defeated Arizona in Tucson last spring in an exhibition game.

Bryan Rosenbaum can be reached via e-mail at Bryan.Rosenbaum@wildcat.arizona.edu.