Search

ARCHIVES
CONTACT US
WORLD NEWS

Huskies in town for volleyball showdown

The UA volleyball team, coming off a shocking loss to Arizona State last weekend, will attempt to get back on track tonight as they take on the University of Washington in the McKale Center at 7 p.m.

The Wildcats' (9-4, 3-2 Pacific 10) chances tonight will hinge on the young team's ability to pass and serve, something they've been trying to improve on all season.

"We've been working on our passing and serving all week," UA head coach David Rubio said. "Hopefully we'll get a better performance out of everybody this week."

Last Friday's match against ASU, a four-game loss, saw the Wildcats commit 13 service errors, nine of them coming in the second game. As the team fell apart in the fourth game, it was obvious that passing was the culprit.

"Quite frankly, ASU did absolutely nothing to beat us," Rubio said. "They just set us up and let us beat ourselves. We couldn't execute, period."

Rubio has spent the week trying to get his fledgling team back together and he appears confident that they can rebound following last week's conference loss.

"I will not let anyone question the team's heart, the team's togetherness or the team's drive," Rubio said. "We played incredibly poorly against ASU, but we think we may have righted ourselves."

The Huskies (6-8, 2-4), are in the middle of a disappointing season. Losses to Stanford, California, Southern Cal and UCLA have all but eliminated Washington from the Pac-10 title hunt. The team's only two conference wins have come over Oregon and Oregon State at home.

Leading the Huskies this season is sophomore outside hitter Allison Richardson, who was named to the All-Tournament teams following showings at both the University of Pacific Tournament and the Illinois State Tournament earlier this season.

"Right now, we can't afford to take anyone lightly," Rubio said. "I've been watching film all week, and I think Washington has a great shot of beating us. If we can play consistently, we'll be able to stop them. If not, it's anyone's guess."

History is on UA's side, though, as the Wildcats lead the series 17-13. In games played in Tucson, UA has an 8-5 advantage.

However, the Huskies have won the last two meetings in Tucson.