A nonconference record of 9-1 and a win over No. 16 San Diego State last weekend should have propelled the Arizona volleyball team into the national rankings this week.

However, the wins over the Aztecs and Cal State-Northridge on Friday were overshadowed by a straight-game loss to No. 20 Loyola Marymount on Saturday. Although it upset a perfect nonconference record, the loss could give the Wildcats a glimpse at what the y will be facing Friday when they play No. 2 Stanford.

"It certainly shows us some of the weaknesses we have," UA head coach Dave Rubio said. "I think we're all disappointed in the fact that we got beat in our own house like that. That's the ups and downs of the season. If you don't play in one match very wel l, you respond by coming back and playing well in the next match. Our next match is against a pretty good opponent, so we better respond."

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Freshman outside hitter Raelene Morton returned to action after sitting for two weeks with an ankle injury. Morton, an all-region high school performer from Gridley, Calif., was expected to share time with junior Michelle Fanger on the right side before s he was injured. She played sparingly in the match against the Lions.

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Rubio had a chance to face his alma mater Cal State-Northridge on Friday. It was the second time that a Rubio-coached team has played Northridge. UA leads the overall series 3-1.

"I know the coach well and I know some of the players, but it's not that much of a difference from before," Rubio said.

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The story in Friday's match against San Diego State was the joint setting effort of Michaela Ebben and Kara Gormsen. They combined for 50 assists in the win. Ebben is the starter, but Gormsen was an All American in high school and has led the team in assi sts on four occasions, including the SDSU match.

"Our passing was so below par that I wanted to give Michaela an opportunity to take a breather," Rubio said. "What happens with setters is when the passing is not very good, they never get a chance to really catch their breath and kind of see the game. I wanted to take her out and maybe Kara could get something started."

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There has yet to be a game where Barb Bell hasn't led the team in kills. On her way to the all-time Arizona record for kills, Bell has been relentless on the opposition. She is averaging 4.88 kills per game and has amassed 161 kills already this season. B ell has also led the team in digs on three occasions and in blocks twice.

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Defensive specialist Sara Johnson joins Bell and Fanger as the only players to play in every game this season. In 33 games, Johnson has racked up 63 digs and leads the team in service aces with 11.

Johnson most often substitutes for middle blocker Keisha Johnson (no relation) in games.

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Passing and serving were the subject of scrutiny by Rubio after Saturday's loss. The Wildcats recorded eight receiving errors, compared to just two for LMU. The Lions had eight serving aces versus the two of Arizona.

"We just weren't passing the ball well enough to really get our offense going," Rubio said. "I think (passing and serving) are the two biggest areas that need to be solid for us in order for us to be successful is our passing and our serving.

" If we do then we will be able to compete with and beat just about everybody. If we struggle in those areas then we will still be able to beat some people. (Friday night) against San Diego State, we beat them and our passing and serving were OK."

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