Getting to “”that point,”” which is described by UA head volleyball coach Dave Rubio as being able to play at a high level consistently, has not yet happened for the Arizona volleyball team.

Like usual, the Wildcats (10-15, 1-12 Pacific 10 Conference) showed glimmers of high-level playing throughout the weekend, yet it was not enough to sustain a victory as they fell to No. 6 USC (30-19, 28-30, 30-21, and 30-26) on Friday and No. 5 UCLA (30-20, 30-17, and 30-27) on Saturday.

“”I thought we competed well against USC, but we were unable to carry it over to UCLA,”” Rubio said. “”Being consistent has certainly been a problem for us. We didn’t have the same effort level and intensity from one night to the next.””

Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Buringrud also said the Wildcats have a problem playing at a high level in both matches.

“”I think we played really well on Friday but not so well on Saturday,”” she said. “”We need to work on playing well back-to-back nights.””

UCLA (24-2, 11-2) took complete advantage of the Wildcats’ inconsistency, as they controlled the tempo of the entire match, winning in three straight sets.

The Bruins shot out to a quick 11-5 lead in the first game and coasted to a first game victory without any threat from the Wildcats.

In the second game, Arizona responded with a little fire, jumping out to a 5-3 lead to open the match. The Bruins later used a 16-4 run to grab a commanding19-9 lead and an eventual 30-17 game two victory.

In the third game, Arizona won again experienced late-game troubles, as they were within one point at 21-20, but the Bruins warded them off for the game victory and the sweep.

Freshman outside hitter Whitney Dosty recorded 11 kills for the Wildcats and junior middle blocker Dominique Lamb added 8.

The Bruins out-swung the Wildcats .330 to .147.

Buringrud said Arizona breaks down mentally at certain points of the game.

“”When we give up runs it is a loss of focus,”” she said. “”We need to work on keeping our heads during the games and staying focused.””

The first game of the weekend set looked more promising for the Wildcats, when they took a strong USC team to four games.

The Women of Troy (21-3, 10-3) took the first game quickly after out-hitting Arizona in the first game, .323 to .026.

The Wildcats responded in a strong way in the second game, jumping out to a 6-1 early lead before seeing the game tied at 15. Arizona used another run to take a 22-16 lead and eventually the game.

Although Arizona hit an exceptionally high .303 in the third game, USC proved to be too much as they used a 9-3 run midway through the game to seal the win.

The fourth game was also close, but USC out-hit the Wildcats .250 to .216 en route to the match win.

With the season winding down, the Wildcats will try to make it to “”that point”” as they battle their consistency problems.

“”There is always one night, whether it’s the first or second night, that we play really well,”” Rubio said. “”There really is no rhyme or reason for it right now except for the immaturity of the squad.””