It was another long night in what’s fast become a season of head-scratchers for longtime Arizona volleyball coach Dave Rubio on Wednesday.
Rubio, whose emotions ranged from his oft-calm and cool demeanor to a few fiery exchanges with players and match officials, was left speechless by his team’s performance.
The hometown Wildcats were hammered in straight sets (15-25, 17-25 and 20-25) by the UCLA Bruins, who entered Wednesday’s match ranked 13th in the latest AVCA poll.
Rubio’s team struggled from the opening tip in front of an announced crowd of 1,139 against an aggressive Bruins squad hungry to avenge three straight losses to the Wildcats, including a straight-set sweep in Tucson last November.