Arizona needed to find out how ready they were to face the physical teams of the Pac-12. They found out on Sunday, and it was reassuring.
There was little expectation that the untested Wildcats would take down the No. 2 team in the country. They were playing in Maples Pavilion, where Stanford had won 22 consecutive matches—the longest streak in the country. A team that has played for—and won—national titles. A team that has faced one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the county and came out with only one loss.
When Stanford put the finishing touches on their 23rd straight home win (25-17, 25-27, 25-20, 25-21), though, the young Wildcats had shown that they were up to the task.