The Arizona volleyball team’s last appearance on the courts of the Golden State’s top-ranked teams was rough..
California and Stanford swept the UA in mid-October, but this weekend the Wildcats will get the chance to face No. 6 California and No. 2 Stanford for a second time.
The Wildcats (13-9, 3-7 Pacific 10 Conference) step onto the familiar court of McKale Center tonight at 7 to battle the Golden Bears (19-3, 9-2) then tomorrow night against the Cardinal (19-3, 10-1) at the same time.
Despite the fact that the Golden Bears and the Cardinal remain top-notch squads, UA head coach Dave Rubio set his sights on his side of the net.
“”To be honest, I’m not too focused on those two teams other than the preparation standpoint,”” Rubio said. “”I’m really more focused on what we’re doing on our side of the net and putting ourselves in the best position to play our best matches.””
The head coach added that his players sometimes have a hard time playing up to their potential, and that can complicate matters because the squad must play a complete game against competition of this caliber.
“”We’ve struggled in the past two weeks to getting to play at the level of volleyball we’re capable of,”” Rubio said. “”(Cal and Stanford) are both top schools, they have great personnel and very physical. So it’s going to be a very competitive weekend from that standpoint.””
The Wildcats had Monday off from practice to rest so they might be in full force for the weekend ahead. Because the team hasn’t been performing up to its potential, the players and coaches have been frustrated, seeing as the level of play in practice has been so high, said Rubio.
“”I think that, for us, we just need to get some good performances from players,”” the head coach said. “”I’ve certainly been seeing good things in practice. It just hasn’t transferred over into our matches yet, so hopefully that will take place.””
Rubio said the team as a whole has had great practices, but certain players have stood out to him.
“”Whitney (Dosty) has been playing really well,”” Rubio said of the outside hitter. “”I also think Dana (Hutchinson) and Randy (Goodenough) have really been performing very well. So they’ll probably see more of the court this weekend. We’ll see.””
The squad’s key to success will be to simply calm down and reflect on what’s happening on the Wildcats’ side of the net, Rubio said.
“”We just need to relax and not try so hard – that’ll put us in a better position to win,”” he said. “”As long as we take care of business on our side, we’ll be in good shape.””
Sixth Set
It’s Bingo Night and Senior Citizen Night in McKale Center during tonight’s game against California. Patrons will be encouraged to play Bingo throughout the contest and all senior citizens will receive $1 off their ticket price.
Saturday night’s game against Stanford is Family Night. Fans can purchase a ticket package for $40 that includes four tickets to the game and a concessions stand voucher for four sodas, four bags of peanuts and four hot dogs.
