Arizona sand volleyball to host ASU

No. 7 Arizona sand volleyball will host ASU on Thursday afternoon as the Territorial Cup rivalry switches from the hardwood to the beach.

The match is slated to begin at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the UA’s sand volleyball courts, which are located across the street from McKale Center. The match will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.

It will be the last home match of the season.

Arizona enters the rivalry meeting coming off an impressive showing at the Tulane Pelican Classic Tournament in New Orleans, where the Wildcats (13-3) went undefeated.

The team earned wins over Louisiana State University, Spring Hill College and Georgia State University.

Madison and Mckenna Witt, twins from Glendale, comprise Arizona’s No. 1 tandem.

Next week, the Wildcats will travel to Tempe to face the Sun Devils on their home sand, before traveling to the Pac-12 Conference Beach Volleyball Championships in Los Angelesat the end of the month.

The season concludes with the NCAA Tournament, which takes place in Gulf Shores, Alabama in early May.

Rafael Quintero named Pac-12 Men’s Diver of the Year

Arizona senior diver Rafael Quintero was named the Pac-12 Conference Men’s Diver of the Year on Tuesday after a stellar season in which he placed runner-up at the NCAA Championships in two events.

Quintero will leave Arizona as one of the most decorated divers in school history by receiving All-American honors all four years.

A native of Puerto Rico, Quintero will represent his home country in the 2016 Rio Olympics.

According to a press release by Arizona Athletics, he becomes the fifth diver in school history to qualify for the Olympics.

Arizona baseball’s Nathan Bannister earns Pac-12 honors

On Monday, Arizona baseball senior pitcher Nathan Bannister was awarded Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for his eight-inning scoreless outing against Washington State this past Friday night.

The right-hander allowed just three hits.

Bannister is almost untouchable at home with a 4-0 record and 0.83 ERA at Hi Corbett.

Bannister will have another opportunity to add to his home dominance this weekend when the Wildcats host Stanford for a three-game series beginning Friday.

Arizona could use a victory over the Cardinal to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume.

According to the collegiate baseball site D1baseball.com, the Wildcats are currently slated as a No. 3 seed in the Gainesville, Florida regional.

Arizona still has plenty of time to add quality wins to its resume, including three-game series against California and Oregon State, both of whom are ranked nationally.

Ex-Wildcat Joey Rickard off to hot start for Orioles

One former Wildcat who saw plenty of success in an Arizona baseball uniform is Joey Rickard.

An outfielder for Arizona’s 2012 team, Rickard concluded his collegiate career as a national champion.

Four years later, Rickard is on a big stage again.

Rickard, who was named an Opening Day starter for the Baltimore Orioles, has not disappointed in his first week with the club.

Through six games, Rickard had a .409 batting average. He also hit his first career MLB home run this past Friday.

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