Two of the biggest contests for any college team are their conference opener and their rivalry game. For Arizona volleyball, those contests have been combined every year since 2012, with the Wildcats opening yet another Pac-12 season against ASU on Thursday.
“The in-state rivalry means maybe a little bit more than the others just because of what’s at stake,” Arizona head coach Dave Rubio said.
Rubio and his players have talked about the need to look beyond the name on the jersey, but he has admitted on several occasions that it can be difficult to keep the players emotionally invested prior to Pac-12 play.