By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Seniors gone, life must move on
How does a coach replace his best scorer, an emotional leader and one of the best outside hitters in school history?
If you're Dave Rubio, the head coach of the UA women's volleyball team, the answer is simple - you don't.
According to the Wildcats' coach, graduated players Marisa DaLee, Elvina Clark and Allison Napier are among the ranks of UA's best players ever.
"You don't replace any of them," he said. "Every single one of them contributed. Marisa was a three-and-a-half year starter. Alison was one of the best outside hitters I've seen. (Clark) was a great back row hitter."
However, the 2001 UA volleyball team must move on, whether they like it or not.
"We're going to have to work extra hard to replace them," junior outside hitter Lisa Rutledge said. "I think our team is going to miss those players."
Rutledge said this year's team has the potential to go further than last year's squad, a group that went 28-5 en route to the Wildcats' first Elite Eight appearance in school history. A loss to Nebraska ended the Wildcats' postseason run.
"The potential is always there," she said. "Our coaches make sure we're working hard. We need to make sure we're at the same level that we finished at last season."
The season-ending loss is still a sore subject around McKale Center, though.
The Wildcats were placed in the same bracket as the eventual-champion Huskers, a pairing that Rubio felt hampered Arizona's chances of winning the title.
"It was so frustrating last year," he said. "(The Elite Eight appearance) was great for the program, me and the players. We had a team that had a shot at winning a National Championship, (but) in a different region, our chances would have been a little bit better. It makes all of us hungrier to win a National Championship this year."
It's no secret that UA's title hopes begin and end with Dana Burkholder.
A first team All-American last season, the senior setter dictates the tone for most matches with her on-court intensity and passing ability.
"From a setting position, there has never been anyone like her since I've been in volleyball," Rubio said. "There are few players that demonstrate her feel for the position, have the athletic ability to run the position and the brain to understand the position. Usually, you're lucky to have two out of three. For me, Dana possesses the qualities of the perfect setter. She's the one you want."
Burkholder averaged just over 13.5 assists per game last season and was named the Pacific 10 Conference's Player of the Year.
Replacing the departed DaLee will likely be senior middle blocker Erin Sebbas, who logged 25 blocks and 35 kills in 35 games last season.
"Sebbas is the most polished one," Rubio said. "Erin is the incumbent. The freshmen coming in will be deer in the headlights. I don't think anyone is going to be able to beat out Erin."
In addition to Sebbas, Rubio said junior Shannon Torregrosa should be poised for a big season after playing most of two seasons as a reserve.
"It's her time to shine," Rubio said of the 6-foot-2 outside hitter. She has so much potential - it's just a matter of her ability to play, night-in and night-out."
Both Rubio and Rutledge agree that the upcoming season should cement Arizona as a major player in the Pacific 10 Conference, which has traditionally been dominated by UCLA and Stanford.
"Arizona has moved into the top four (in the Pac-10)," Rubio said. "It's always been Stanford, UCLA and USC. Every once in a while we would beat USC or UCLA, but in the past couple of years, Stanford has dropped down and we've risen up."
Rutledge agreed.
"I think we've definitely become a powerhouse in the Pac-10," she said. "We have great recruits that (Rubio) has made into great players. Because of that, we've finished high every season."
