As the Arizona women’s volleyball season comes down to its final weeks, head coach David Rubio and his senior leaders look to finish on a high note in the Bay area following a sweep in Washington.

Arizona will host California on Friday at 4:30 p.m. and No. 12 Stanford on Sunday at noon.

The Golden Bears are second to last in the conference with a 3-13 record with only one more win than ASU, who the Wildcats will face next week.

Stanford is coming off a cringing five set loss against No. 13 UCLA, but will play ASU before coming down to Tucson. It’s likely both Arizona and Stanford will gain momentum following the Friday games to bring into a competitive Sunday match. And they said Sundays were meant for church and NFL games.

Earlier this season, Arizona faced Stanford and Cal on the road resulting in a split, but the Wildcats concluded their historical 3-1 overall California road trip also beating No. 22 USC and No. 18 UCLA.

Playing Cal before Stanford may be a blessing in disguise for the ‘Cats. In California, Arizona triumphed over No. 12 Stanford in a 3-1 victory. Running high on emotions after beating USC, UCLA and Stanford consecutively, Arizona played down to the level of a weaker Bears team in a 3-2 loss at Cal.

This time, Arizona will seek redemption and look to showcase improvements since October against the Golden Bears. Whatever momentum they gain can then be transferred in preparation for No. 12 Stanford.

Arizona has been resilient thus far this season in bouncing back from tough losses. After the losses at the Washington schools, Arizona defeated No. 20 Oregon on the road. Then, after falling to Oregon State, sweeping UCLA and USC at home.

Arizona is standing in a good position nearing the end of the season and with a RPI ranking of 26, the Wildcats are currently looking at the Top 25 from the outside, but see potential to break in with some wins this week. 

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