The Arizona volleyball team’s 2017 schedule was released Thursday, June 15, showing a 31-match slate that will include 16 home matches at McKale Center. The Wildcats will play in 20 conference matches, and the Pac-12 Network will televise 13 of them.

The schedule includes 14 matches that will be played against NCAA Tournament teams from last season, including six matches against fellow Sweet 16 teams from 2016 along with two matches against defending NCAA champion, Stanford.

Finishing 20th in the final AVCA poll for the 2016 season, the Wildcats will go face-to-face with seven teams that were also ranked in the poll including No. 1 Stanford (Sept. 29, Oct. 29), No. 6 UCLA (Oct. 4, Nov. 3), No. 7 Washington (Nov. 22), No. 13 Florida State (Sept. 9), No. 21 Oregon (Oct. 20, Nov. 11), No. 24 Washington State (Sept. 23) and No. 25 Utah (Oct. 13, Nov. 18).

Arizona finished last season 20-15 overall and 10-10 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Wildcats reached their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament and its eighth Sweet 16 in program history.

The volleyball team’s journey to their next NCAA Tournament will begin in Nashville, Tenn. where the Cats will open their season at the LUV Invitational. Arizona will take on East Tennessee State and host Lipscomb Saturday, Aug. 26 and then conclude the Invitational against Middle Tennessee Sunday, Aug. 27.

The Wildcats will open at McKale Center with the Cactus Classic on Sept. 1 through 2 as they host Eastern Kentucky, Grand Canyon and Radford for a two-day, six-match event. Arizona will open the Classic against Eastern Kentucky Friday, Sept. 1 at 12:30 p.m. followed by taking on Grand Canyon at 7 p.m. The Cats will wrap up the tournament Saturday, Sept. 2 at 1 p.m.

Below is the full schedule for the Arizona volleyball 2017 season: