The UA men's volleyball team aims to make 2003-04 another banner season as it heads to the Mountain West Regional Tournament in Las Vegas this weekend.

The Mountain West Tournament is UA's last hurdle before national championships April 8-11 in Charlotte, N.C., where Arizona will look to claim its fifth national title in six seasons.

Arizona has climbed to No. 3 in the rankings while putting together an impressive 17-2 record.

One of UA's 17 wins came against the top-ranked UNLV Runnin' Rebels in a non-league matchup.

UNLV and Utah join Arizona at the top of the Mountain West and will also be looking to gain top seeds to the 48-team tournament.

Arizona's march to the top this season has been a bit unexpected despite the program's past dominance. UA returned just six players from last season's team, leaving seven positions to be filled by newcomers.

"This has been a rebuilding year," junior opposite Britt Burridge said. "A lot of new guys have had to step into leadership roles."

All six of Arizona's returning players have filled these roles nicely and helped turn a "rebuilding year" into another season of UA dominance.

Burridge joins senior middle hitter Ty Hayes, senior outside hitter Turner Elliot, junior defensive specialist Kasey Harwell, and senior setter Bill Lesho as the leaders of the UA squad.

"We kind of had a slow start, but we've been able to stay dominant," Burridge said.

The unusual combination of returners and fresh faces has proved effective for Arizona, allowing the Wildcats to maintain their position as the nation's top program while simultaneously preparing for the future, he said.

This weekend's regional could serve as an indicator of whether that fifth championship will come to Tucson this year.

Women's club volleyball sets sights on regional

Stakes will be high in Las Vegas this weekend for the UA women's club volleyball teams, which will converge upon Sin City for the Mountain West Regional Tournament.

The two UA squads will be jockeying against 16 other teams for seeding for next month's national tournament.

Expectations are high for both UA women's volleyball teams, which are looking to improve upon impressive 2002-03 campaigns.

The "A" and "B" teams are both hoping to finish at the top of the Mountain West, thereby earning coveted high seeds for the national tournament.

UA's "A" team finished a few fall tournaments in the top three, including a third-place finish at home and a second-place finish at Loyola Marymount University in southern California.

The "B" team has shown its strength this season as well, tying for third place last month at a tournament in Colorado.

Both teams hope to earn high seeds this weekend at the regional for the 48-team national tournament, held April 8-11 in Charlotte, N.C.

Among the teams looking to derail Arizona in Vegas are Chico State and Colorado State.

"(Chico State and Colorado State) will be the top competition. They both have solid teams. We'll probably be competing with them (for first place)," junior outside hitter Rachel Millette said.

The UA players said they are not looking past their Mountain West competition, but are anticipating the national championships.

Last year, the "A" team finished 17th in Division I of the national tournament, while the "B" team took home second place honors from the Division II bracket.