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By Kristen Davis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
August 21, 1996
After coming off of a mediocre season, yesterday's media day for the Arizona women's volleyball team conveyed a positive and confident outlook on the upcoming season."We are as good and as talented as I have ever seen," head coach Dave Rubio said.
The Wildcats have nine players returning from last season, in addition to the five freshmen.
Junior setter Michaela Ebben and senior outside hitters Heidi Bomberger and Barb Bell, Arizona's second all-time kill leader, will serve as the leaders for the team.
Rubio said the returning players' experience in the Pacific 10 Conference, which is arguably the nation's toughest volleyball conference, will be a huge element in the team's success.
"I feel we are going to be a team that can finish anywhere from first to seventh (in the Pac-10), and I think there are seven teams that can do the same," he said.
Because the difference between the teams in the Pac-10 is so small, all of the matches are expected to be pressure-filled.
Arizona's season begins on Aug. 30 at the Arizona State tournament in Tempe.
According to Bell, the ASU tournament will give the team a good chance to experiment with players in different spots in order to find a lineup.
"The next couple of days are really critical for us. We'll start looking at lineups and see how people respond to the different lineups," Rubio said.
All of the players are very equal, junior middle blocker Tamika Dennis said.
"We won't know (the starting lineup) until Dave puts us on a court," said Dennis.
Both the coaching staff and players are excited about the five freshmen.
"It's exciting to see all the talent coming in," Bell said.
"Our freshman class is the best freshman class in the history of the school," Rubio said.
Freshman setter Kara Gormsen, a Mizuno first team All-American from Stockton, Calif., and freshman Erin Aldrich, an outside hitter from Dallas, will make significant contributions to the team immediately, Rubio said.
"I think our team is going to play really well together. It's going to be a successful season," Gormsen said.
Arizona's first home match is Sept. 6 in the Doubletree Classic at McKale Center.
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