UA senior class helped elevate volleyball program to elite status

AMY WINKLER/Arizona Daily Wildcat

The UA volleyball team's five seniors (clockwise from top left) opposite side hitter Jill Talbot, middle blocker Erin Sebbas, setter Lauren Benward, defensive specialist Linda McCullagh and setter Dana Burkholder clown around after a practice in McKale Center last week.

Five years ago, the UA women's volleyball team began its quest for Pacific 10 Conference - and national - dominance.

Already on the team were eventual first-team All-Pac-10 honorees Marisa DaLee and Allison Napier.

But there were still missing pieces, and the team finished fifth in the conference.

Things changed the next season when four young recruits - setters Dana Burkholder and Lauren Benward, middle blocker Erin Sebbas and outside hitter Jill Talbot - joined the Wildcat squad.

Last season, transfer defensive specialist Linda McCullagh rounded out the five members of this year's senior class.

With DaLee and Napier in their final season in 2000, UA advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, the best finish in school history.

With the 2001 Arizona team consisting of eight freshmen, UA's senior class has set the standard for the way the younger players have to play if they want to improve on last season's outcome.

Talbot thinks they can.

"We are a special group," Talbot said. "We all helped raise the bar at Arizona. We have tried to show the freshmen the level needed to stay at the top. Hopefully, the juniors can keep the team at that level next season."

Each senior's path to success has varied during their career.

Burkholder, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., came to Arizona as a high school third-team All-American, as well as the captain and starting setter on the 1998 World Champion U.S. Junior National Team. She was also named the 1998 Bakersfield County Player of the Year.

She leaves the Wildcats as an All-American and UA's all-time leader in assists and triple-doubles. Last season, Burkholder became the first Wildcat to be named Pacific 10 Conference Player of the Year.

"Dana has risen her level of leadership to a whole new level this season,"UA head coach David Rubio said. "She is possessed and doing anything that she can to help the team be successful. I have never seen her as tuned in as she is right now. Every aspect of her game is on."

Talbot said Burkholder has been an ideal team leader.

"It was awesome that she became the first to win Pac-10 Player of the Year," Talbot said. "She is our setter and leader. All of her accomplishments are a tribute to the coaching and talent that we have on this team, as well as her individual talents."

The other setter in the senior class, Benward, had a different path from her teammates.

Benward, native of Glenn Ellen, Calif., was recruited as a setter, but she realized she would never have an opportunity to beat out Burkholder as the team's starting setter.

Instead of transferring, Benward took on the role of a backup.

Rubio said Benward could have transferred and started at another college, but she decided to stay at UA because she wanted to be a part of a winning program.

In her four years at UA, Benward has continually been one of the hardest workers on the team.

Rubio credits the success Arizona has had in the past three years to Benward's work ethic and good example.

Sebbas, the lone middle blocker in the senior class, spent the first three years of her career as a reserve. The senior from Alta Loma, Calif., worked hard in the off-season, earning a position in UA's starting rotation this season.

Offensively, Talbot has been the consistent figure for the Wildcats over her career.

However, Talbot's steadiness wasn't immediately recognized by anyone besides Rubio and her teammates.

"Jill was not as well-known as Dana when she came to Arizona," Rubio said. "She was unpolished and many coaches overlooked her. That is no longer the case. Everyone knows her. The best complement I heard from fellow coaches is after our match against Washington, their coach told reporters during a post-game television interview that Jill is not only the best right-side attacker in the Pac-10, but the best right-side attacker in the country."

Talbot hit the national scene in last year's NCAA tournament where she hit .500 in UA's four tournament matches.

Currently, Talbot is leading the Pac-10 with a .434 average hitting percentage this season. She also leads the team with eight double-doubles.

Junior outside hitter Lisa Rutledge said that without the guidance of this year's senior class, UA would not be in the position it is in today.

"Our seniors are the most integral part of our team," Rutledge said. "They keep us in check and together as a team. They come out and work hard every day and everyone follows their leads."

These five seniors play their last regular-season matches in McKale Center this weekend in the Four Points University Thanksgiving Classic.

During Saturday's game against No. 3 Stanford, they were honored by the athletic department. Unfortunately for them, a heartbreaking, five-game loss to the Pac-10 frontrunners ensued.

They all said they wanted their last Pac-10 match at home to be a win, but Talbot said it was still a match to remember.

"It was a very tough match," Talbot said. "I am glad that my last regular-season match was against Stanford. I definitely will never forget it."