Call him Mr. 500.
Dave Rubio won his 500th career match with the Arizona Wildcats on Friday night, when his team rallied to edge New Mexico State 3-0 (25-18, 26-24, 25-17) in McKale Center. The win was Arizona's second of the day; it beat Tennessee-Martin in a 10 a.m. match.
Rubio is the sixth UA coach in any sport to win 500 games or more at the school. He's the second active coach, joining longtime softball coach Mike Candrea. Rubio said No. 500 was special for two reasons: It came against a NMSU team that beat the Wildcats last week, and it came in the presence of his brother. Keith Rubio is in his eighth season as the Aggies' associate head coach.
"It was a nice situation for me," Dave Rubio said. "It was a nice crowd that was into it … the level of play was pretty high."
The Wildcats received a contribution from Kendra Dahkle, who missed Friday morning's match with foot pain that has required her to wear a protective boot. The UA senior finished with a team-high 15 kills. Paige Whipple added 11 kills.
The Wildcats (10-1) will continue the Wildcat Classic on Saturday with a noon match against UC Davis.
