(Tucson – Richard Jefferson Gym)
After beating ASU and a loss to Stanford being 1-1 start the season, Coach Dave Rubio reflected on the highs and lows going into the Oregon match.
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“Stanford is very physical, but and strong they constantly go after you. Oregon is fast. Player for player they’re probably more athletic than anyone in our conference. They’re offense is so fast, their setters move the ball around quickly.”
I asked him if he was planning to go deep into his bench to offset their athleticism. He answered, “Liz (Elizabeth Shelton) I would like to have in there. She’s as athletic as all those gals, but she’s not going to play.” Shelton hasn’t been cleared to play after suffering a concussion. The timeline for her return is unclear.
Rubio went on to say how tough the PAC-12 is this year with nine teams ranked in the Top 25 nationally.
PAC-12 assists leader Julia Patterson spoke about the 3-1 loss to Stanford. She was happy that the battled the Cardinal tough while building Arizona’s confidence. “We made them do things they weren’t used to doing.”
Outside Hitter Paige Whipple, a Salem Oregon Native on going back home to play the Ducks. “I have a tons of supportive friends and family that’ll drive an hour plus to come watch me play, so it’ll be super cool to have so many people there to watch.”
She feels that she’s completely recovered from her hernia surgery five months ago. “Honestly you can’t even tell I had any surgery.”
The Wildcats take on the Ducks Friday, September 28th at 8 pm on the PAC -12 Network.
Photos courtesy of Arizona Athletics
