After a disappointing three set loss to No. 3 Washington on Sunday, No. 19 Arizona volleyball will hit the road to play Utah tonight and Colorado on Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Wildcats won easily in a three set sweep during their last meeting with Utah less than three weeks ago, but Arizona had its struggles against Colorado. The Buffs defeated the Wildcats in four sets, and in Arizona head coach Dave Rubio’s opinion, it was one of the poorest performances his team has had this season.
Rubio’s team was not in sync and was unable to put together any significant runs. One of the keys for Arizona in the rematch will to be cut down the number of attacking errors. The Wildcats committed 42 of them in the 3-1 loss to the Buffs, the most Rubio said he thinks he has ever seen in a match.
Arizona is 16-10 overall with a 6-8 record in Pac-12 Conference play heading into the weekend.
The Wildcats, sitting at No. 19 in the country, are the only team with double-digit losses ranked in the AVCA coaches poll.
Though they are still ranked, the Wildcats’ are just No. 46 in RPI, which could cost Arizona when it comes to the NCAA Tournament in December.
With just six games left in the season, it will be important for Arizona to get as many wins as possible and to get at least one win against a top 10 ranked opponent, something the Wildcats have not been able to accomplish all season.
For Rubio, he is only focused on the next match and tries to look as little at the RPI and the NCAA Tournament as possible.
“I’m really just focused on whenever the next match is going to be, what the next practice is going to be, and all that stuff will work out,” Rubio said. “The most important match of the year is the next one we play, and we’ll let everything else work out.”
Arizona’s 7 p.m. matchup with Utah will be televised on Pac-12 Networks tonight.
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