By
Kamy Shaygan
Arizona Daily Wildcat
UA hasn't defeated Stanford since 1993
This upcoming weekend could be a recording-breaking event for the Arizona women's volleyball team.
The No. 10 Wildcats tied a school record with its 10th straight win last weekend and will attempt to burn their names onto the UA record books Friday night when they face Stanford at the McKale Center.
"I personally don't really think about records," Arizona head coach David Rubio said. "I don't really consider those things currently while we are competing."
The Wildcats would rather focus on their upcoming matches against Stanford and California than about setting records.
"It's hard for us to think about 10 matches in a row," he said. "We really don't look too far behind us or in front of us."
Instead of focusing on their record, Rubio and the Wildcats are concentrating on facing Stanford, which hasn't lost to Arizona since 1993 and has won the last 13 matches between the two teams.
"The Stanford game is always a little different than the others," Rubio said. "The history that Stanford brings to the table is different. Because of Stanford's past, it creates that big-game environment."
Senior middle blocker Allison Napier continues to impress her coach and teammates with consistent play on the court.
Napier finished with a game-high 14 kills and a .458 hitting percentage last weekend as the Wildcats won their ninth-straight match, defeating Washington State in three games.
"Allie has been our best left-side attacker (and) blocker," Rubio said. "It's like everything we have been teaching for the past three years is ingrained in her head. She is making all the right decision and she is executing very consistently."
Sophomore middle blocker Stefani Saragosa agreed.
"She has been doing it," she said of Napier, who spent most of 1999 in a reserve role.
Unlike the past few weeks, the Wildcats will have three days of practice this week instead of two. Arizona took a day off yesterday to recover from last weekend's road trip to the University of Washington and Washington State.
The team will begin preparing to face Stanford today.
"It's going to be nice," Rubio said. "We have three days to practice, which is nice for us."
Saragosa will attempt to solidify a starting spot on the team this weekend. The Chula Vista, Calif., native has been putting up solid numbers for the Wildcats lately, making the Wildcats dangerous in the front row.
Saragosa finished with an impressive .533 hitting percentage against the Huskies last weekend.
"Stefani is our starting middle blocker so we are going to see her do her thing in the front row and allow her the opportunity to become a full-time player," Rubio said. "As good as she is, she has a lot of room for improvement."
