It is common to hear of the Arizona football team's exploits at Camp Cochise, but football is not the only sport that attends preseason fall camp. The women's volleyball team gathered for 12 days this fall to hone their skills and prepare for the most anticipated season since its inception in 1977.

"It wouldn't surprise me if we got all the way to the Final Four; it wouldn't surprise me if we didn't get to the Final Four," Arizona head coach David Rubio said during media day on Wednesday. "We have enough talent to get there, and we have the right kind of personnel to get there, but there are a lot of things that have to happen along the way, and one of them is team chemistry. Everyone has to accept their roles, everyone has to understand the playing-time situation."

The Wildcats return nine players from last season who will set the standard for an outstanding freshman recruiting class, which includes Mizuno All-American setter Kara Gormsen. As in years before, the returning players were counselors at Rubio's Summer Volleyball Camp, which is a three-week camp for girls in junior high and high school. On Aug. 10, the team went to Prescott for a training camp. Wednesday was the last day of camp, and Rubio was happy with the progress the team has made.

"I can't even say how neat it is to walk into a gym and have great athletes who respond really well," Rubio said. "I have become a better coach because I recruited well."

The camp was a chance for Rubio to evaluate the players and determine their position on the court.

"We're still playing around with lineups. There are a lot of people who are really close for a spot," Rubio said. "Right now, it's safe to say that Barb (Bell) is going to start, and Michaela (Ebben) will be starting setting. There are certain things you know for sure, you're just not sure where they're going to fit in the lineup. It just depends on how things fall."

Team chemistry is something this year's team has in abundance.

"We're all really good friends. Some of us are best friends off the court, and that helps a lot," Bell said. "It's going to be a learning experience because we have five new freshmen coming in, so it'll be good to play people around at different spots."

This year's team is considered by many to be the best team in Arizona volleyball history, even better than the 1993 team which went to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament before losing 3-1 to Brigham Young.

"My freshman year, we had a lot of success. We had the physical ability, but we didn't have the chemistry. This year we have both, and I think that's what is going to take us farther than we've ever gone before," Bell said. "We're the underdogs according to national polls, so we have nothing to lose. So why not go out there and prove everybody wrong? "

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