By
Brian Penso
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wildcat upset against USC witnessed by largest crowd in program history
Arizona's upset Friday against Pacific 10 Conference powerhouse USC came in front of 7,298 people, the most ever to watch a UA volleyball home game.
"It was amazing to see the number of people that were there," sophomore outside hitter Lisa Rutledge said. "It was great to have so much fan support. It gave us even more momentum to win the game."
There were more fans in attendance due to UA basketball's Midnight Madness, but players were just happy to show all of their new fans a good game.
"It was really exciting to have so many people see us play so good," senior outside hitter Allison Napier said. "Even though a lot of people were here for the basketball team, I hope we won some fans."
The game also gave the Wildcats a preview of what NCAA Tournament crowds are going to be like.
"Most importantly, this was a good experience for the Final Four," junior setter Dana Burkholder said.
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Arizona (15-2, 8-1) has reached the halfway point in the season and is off to the best start in school history.
The team's successful start has earned them a No. 5 ranking in the latest AVCA/USA Today rankings, which is the highest ranking in school history.
"Players deserve to be in this position," head coach David Rubio said. "We are all real excited about going into the second half of the season."
The players are not surprised by the team's great start. Arizona expected to be among the nation's best after returning most of its team from last season.
"I totally expected this type of start," Burkholder said. "We have so much experience on our team."
One of the keys to UA's early season success is a successful preseason.
"We had a very strong preseason, which has helped us come out and play real consistently," Napier said.
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The Wildcat's school record 14-game winning streak was snapped by the 10th ranked UCLA Bruins last Thursday, but coaches and players said that the loss was a blessing in disguise.
"Actually, this was a good loss," Rutledge said. "It made us more hungry to go out and beat USC. It also showed us we can lose if we don't work hard."
Arizona also realized what type of play it is going to take to beat the top teams in the nation. Which was apparent in its domination of the fourth-ranked Trojans.
"It was good for us to lose because we learned a lot about our team and the style that we need to play to be successful," Burkholder said. "The loss will teach us to be more focused."
