While a fifth national championship in the last six years eluded the UA men's volleyball A team this weekend, the B team continued the tradition of Arizona dominance.
Senior outside hitter Turner Elliott led the A team to a ninth-place finish in the Division I bracket and earned all-tournament honors in Charlotte, N.C., last weekend.
Meanwhile, sophomore outside hitter Kevin Logan and sophomore setter Chris Lishko garnered all-tournament honors for the Division III national champion Wildcats.
Despite not winning the national crown, the A team came away with a number of positives, junior captain Britt Burridge said.
Arizona drew top-ranked and eventual champion Milwaukee Area Technical College in opening-round pool play.
The more experienced Wolfpack defeated the UA in pool play and again in Sunday's elimination rounds on their way to the title, but between those losses, the Wildcats scored big wins over Minnesota, Indiana and Marquette.
Indiana was the only club team to defeat Arizona during the season, making the win all the more gratifying, Burridge said.
In its bracket, the B team steamrolled the competition on the way to the Division III title.
Arizona exacted revenge against Illinois in the Division III title game, winning in two straight sets. Illinois was the only team to defeat the Wildcats in opening-round pool play.
"Not winning (the national championship) will really light the fire for next year," Burridge said. "We'll be motivated to push that much harder."
Women's volleyball club team takes 2nd at national tournament
The UA women's volleyball teams ended their 2003-2004 campaigns this weekend at the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association national championship tournament.
For the second consecutive year, the B team came away from the competition national as runners-up.
Freshman outside hitter Ashley Garza and sophomore setter Stephanie Schneck led the second-place Wildcats, both earning all-tournament honors.
The lone loss for the UA in the Division II bracket came in the title game against Southern California.
The Wildcats climbed to the title game from a No. 14 seed.
In the Division I bracket, the A team finished 37 in the 60-team field. The team went 3-4 during the four-day tournament, with wins over Northeastern, Drexel and Dayton.
"We just could not get on the same page," said junior outside hitter Rachel Millette. "One day we would play the best we had all year, and other games we could not get anything going."