Friday October 26, 2001

A message was sent to volleyball programs across the country last night when seventh-ranked Arizona manhandled No. 3 USC 3-0(30-25, 30-15, 30-28) in front of 1,633 fans in McKale.

"This win solidifies the University of Arizona as a top-level volleyball program," UA head coach David Rubio said after the sweep. "The top programs now know that they have to contend with us. That message was sent loud and clear."

USC (14-2 overall, 8-1 Pacific 10 Conference) came in as the top team in the Pac-10, riding a 13-match winning streak, not that the Wildcats played as if they were intimidated.

UA (14-3, 9-3 Pac-10) out hit the Women of Troy, logging a .395 hitting percentage, the highest percentage a team has hit against USC this season.

Leading the way for UA was junior outside hitter Shannon Torregrosa, who finished with a match-high 19 kills on a career best .405 hitting percentage.

"People from the outside wonder why I am so optimistic about the level of play that this team can play at," Rubio said. "I know Shannon's potential and I know the effect she can have on our team. When we play such a complete game like this, anything is achievable. This was as good as it gets."

Five Wildcats finished with a hitting percentage above .400

Defensively, Arizona was led by senior outside hitter Jill Talbot, who finished the match with a season-high 22 digs. Talbot also added 10 kills to earn her team-high sixth double-double on the season.

During UA's 30-15 victory in the second game, the Wildcat defense held the Trojans to a .150 hitting percentage. During the game, USC was unable to score back-to-back points.

"The girls were really tuned in tonight," Rubio said. "The scouting report was perfect tonight and the girls came out with a clear objective and that was to play a good defensive match."

USC head coach Mick Haley said that the Wildcats dominated the Trojans from the first serve to the last point.

"We did not come out to play from the first serve tonight and it showed," Haley said. "We couldn't execute and hit the ball. We made errors and they played good defense. They handed it to us 3-0 and they were better then us tonight."

However, the Wildcats have no time to enjoy their dominating performance over the Trojans.

UA takes the floor tonight against No. 6 UCLA, who handed the Wildcats a 3-0 loss last month in Los Angeles. First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. in McKale Center.

Currently, the Wildcats are tied with the Bruins for third in the Pac-10.

"We need to get ready to play a great match versus another great team. We can't get to emotionally involved in (the USC) match," Rubio said.

Talbot said playing USC and UCLA in back-to-back matches is as tough as any stretch in the nation.

"UCLA · is just as important," Talbot said. "As a team, we are ready for the challenge of playing these teams back-to-back."

One unanswered question for the Bruins is the status of All-American outside hitter Kristee Porter, who did not make the trip to Tempe for last night's match while the NCAA investigates a possible violation.

Talbot said the Bruins - who, playing without Porter, still managed to sweep the Sun Devils last night - should still be a tough team to beat.

"UCLA is still UCLA," Talbot said. "We still have to be ready to play against one of the best teams in the nation."