The Simpson sisters — from left to right, Gabby, Cierra and Taylor — get ready to receive a serve during a game against Stanford earlier in the season. The women’s volleyball team currently stands with an overall 15-10 record for the 2014 season, and still has home games against Washington, Washington State and Oregon State. (Matt Sisneros/CU Independent)

There’s no doubt that the University of Colorado women’s volleyball team plays in the toughest conference in the nation, but that won’t stop them from trying to be the best. At 15-11 overall and 7-7 in conference play, the team seems to be on the up-and-up toward the end of the season.

The Pac-12 is competitive across the board, but the women’s volleyball teams are duking it out more than any other sport.

“The Pac-12 is the strongest league in the country,” said CU head coach Liz Kritza. “Eight teams in the Top-25 reside in the league, and any given night you’ll have teams beating each other, whether they’re three, four or five set wins or loses. There is some very high-level volleyball being played, particularly this time of year.”

The Buffs are improving each year, too. They are currently ranked No. 22 in the country. But while growing and moving forward, they’re still the underdog — just this past weekend, the Buffs lost to UCLA and USC, both ranked in the Top-25.

“Players are getting better individually, they’re developing their skills,” said Kritza. “We’re playing at a high level, we just need to make sure that we refocus, regroup and keep some perspective about where we are in our season. We have a long way to go, and our goals haven’t changed.”

But just because the Buffs have had tough losses this past week doesn’t mean they aren’t working toward the same goal as every other team. Their underdog mentality keeps them grounded and working hard as they head into the end of the season and playoffs.

The next six regular-season games for the Buffs are just as important as the postseason will be. This weekend, they play No. 2 Washington and Washington State at home, but also face top-ranked Stanford next Saturday. With a tough late-season schedule, Colorado sees last weekend’s downbeat as an evaluation checkpoint.

“We all need to re-think what is going on and why we have been losing,” said sophomore setter Gabby Simpson. “In these next few games, we need to be prepared because they are games we have to win. We need to prove ourselves.”

The hard losses have hurt the team’s confidence level, but the Buffs are staying strong, working on not only physical but also mental improvements. Sophomore middle blocker Joslyn Hayes, for example, aims to be a source of moral support for her teammates.

“We all believe that we as a team can do great things, but not all of us have bought into the idea of becoming a championship team, which we definitely can be,” she said.

The first round of the NCAA playoffs tournament begins Dec. 5, 2014. The Buffs have a long road ahead, but with their confidence and skill rising, they could get closer to the gold than expected.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Lisa Marcum at lisa.marcum@colorado.edu.