KEVIN KLAUS

Junior outside hitter Lisa Rutledge attempts a dig in a game earlier this season in McKale Center. Head volleyball coach Dave Rubio said Rutledge has made it a point to take teammate Shannon Torregrosa under her wing.

Wednesday October 17, 2001

Rutledge is passing on what she learned from her predecessors

Amid inconsistencies and key losses, the UA women's volleyball team has managed to stay in the national spotlight, and much of the reason comes from the play of a few key veterans.

All-American senior setter Dana Burkholder receives much of the credit for keeping the No. 7 Wildcats (11-3 overall, 6-3 Pacific 10 Conference) among the elite teams in the nation.

However, UA head coach Dave Rubio believes junior outside hitter Lisa Rutledge deserves just as much credit for the overall success of the UA volleyball program.

"She has been so important for us this year," Rubio said. "She has the ability to be one of the best hitters in the country. She is learning every day more and more about the game, and she is showing that with her play."

Currently, Rutledge leads the team in kills and kills per game with 214 kills and a 4.46 kills per game average.

Coming into the season, Rutledge had big shoes to fill with the departure of outside hitter Allison Napier. Napier led the 2000 Wildcats in kills with 440 and kills per game with 4.04.

"Allie is probably the best hitter I have ever coached," Rubio said. "No one ever thought she would be as good as she became. She worked hard every day in practice, and I think Lisa can be the same type of player."

Rutledge is on pace best Napier in every offensive category.

Rutledge, a native of the San Diego suburb of Vista, Calif., credits her success to consistent hard work and dedication.

"I have a lot more confidence this year than I have had in the past," Rutledge said. "I am going to practice more determined to play, and that makes me better in games. It all starts in practice for me."

Rubio said she has been an overpowering hitter since her freshman season but is becoming a student of the game as well, something that helps her improve all aspects of her game.

Rubio also said he wants Rutledge to become as clever as sophomore outside hitter Christina Frost, who overcomes her lack of physical strength - she stands only 5-foot-10 - to be successful as an outside attacker.

"If Lisa could be as smart as Christina, she would be one of the best hitters in the country," Rubio said. "Christina is small, which makes her have to be very creative in her shots. Lisa is working on that right now. She used to just try to just hit the ball as hard as she could and overpower her shot. Now she is placing the ball and being a more of a tactical attacker."

One of the reasons the Wildcats have struggled this season is the inconsistent play of junior outside hitter Shannon Torregrosa, who leads the team with 118 errors.

Rutledge and Torregrosa comprise the left-side attack for the Wildcat offense, and one of the biggest tests this season for Rutledge was having Torregrosa move from a part-time player, as she was a year ago, to full-time status.

"Lisa assists Shannon as much as possible," Rubio said. "Shannon watches and learns from people very well, and she sees the selection process Lisa has on her shots. Lisa complements Shannon very well on the court."

Besides inconsistency on the floor, Torregrosa's behavior also led to Rubio suspending her earlier in the season, temporarily increasing Rutledge's role in UA's offense.

"It put pressure on me," Rutledge said. "I had to work harder and try to do more for the team to make up for Shannon's loss. It was a good experience for me to have that added pressure."

Rubio said Rutledge's play opposite senior outside hitter Jill Talbot usually determines the team's success on the court in a given match.

"With Jill, it makes our offense unpredictable and hard to stop," Rubio said. "When she is on top of her game, we usually come out on top."

This was apparent in UA's matches last week against California, Washington State and Washington. Rutledge tallied 60 kills with a .316 hitting percentage, while committing only 18 attack errors.

Her numbers accounted for 26 percent of the Wildcat offense during those three matches.

Rutledge also accumulated 30 digs, five aces and seven blocks over the same span.

Currently, she is third in the Pac-10 with a 4.84 points-per-game average.

"It is great to have Lisa opposite of me because it opens up the entire court," Talbot said. "When she is playing well, it helps Dana set myself as well as our middles more effectively."

With the Wildcats currently in fifth place in the Pac-10, Rutledge will play a significant role in the team's uphill climb towards defending its conference title.

So far, she has been up for the challenge.