Since 1993 the name Barb Bell has been synonymous with Arizona volleyball.

Bell, a senior outside hitter, owns the UA record for career kills with 1,641 and is third in career solo blocks with 104, 14 behind the record. She has been a member of two NCAA Sweet 16 teams, as well as a two-time member of the All-Pacific 10 Conferenc e team.

An All-America nomination and an NCAA championship would be the crown on an already impressive career. If the Wildcats don't win a majority of their next nine matches, they will fail to qualify for the NCAA tournament, and Bell will have never achieved th e national recognition many believe she deserves.

"To be an All-American, two things have to happen: You have to put up the numbers and your team has to play well," UA head coach Dave Rubio said. "This is the year that Barb really has a shot at it. We plan on being the hottest team in the Pac-10 in the s econd half of the season."

A graduate of Flowing Wells High School, Bell always knew she would play for the Wildcats. When she broke the national record for kills and was named the Tucson Citizen player of the year, the Arizona coaches were more than happy to have her on their team . Bell signed a letter of intent to attend Arizona, but did not enroll in classes until spring semester and was forced to redshirt.

"I dreamt about playing volleyball for the Wildcats since fifth grade," Bell said. "I redshirted my first year because I needed to get my life together before I came to college and played in Division I."

Rubio said Bell's freshman year may have been her best. She sat out the first week of the season after having arthroscopic surgery on her knee, but went on to have the best freshman season of any player at Arizona. She became the second Wildcat ever to ea rn a Pac-10 player of the week honor - and she earned it twice.

Bell racked up double figures in kills in 22 matches, and her 417 kills for the season were the most ever by a UA freshman. Her play earned her a spot on the ASICS/Volleyball Monthly all-freshmen team. She was also a member of the Pac-10 all-freshmen team and became the first freshman ever to make the All-Pac-10 team.

"The only big disappointment I have was that I didn't get freshman of the year," Bell said.

That award went to UCLA's Kim Krull. Rubio said it was Krull's exposure out of high school that gave her the edge, but that Bell still deserved the award.

Bell did not receive the same level of exposure in her remaining years at Arizona.

In 1994 she eclipsed the numbers of her freshman year in every statistical category, but was not named to the All-Pac-10 team. Instead she helped her team advance to the NCAA West Regional with 17 kills and a career-high 20 digs in a second-round victory over eighth-ranked Brigham Young.

In 1995 she carried her team to a 14-14 record, but was unable to get it into the postseason. Her 497 kills were the second best in a single season at Arizona, and her 1,330 career kills put her second all-time behind her hero, Terry Lauchner.

This season she broke Lauchner's record and should go well beyond it. She has led the team in kills in all but two matches and has been named a tournament most valuable player twice. But Bell remains indifferent to the records as long as the Wildcats keep losing.

"It doesn't mean anything because we're not winning," Bell said. "(Setting the record) was neat because Terry Lauchner was my hero. I only got to talk to her once, on my recruiting trip."

Bell's role is that of offensive weapon and team leader. Rubio said that when the Wildcats get down to the last game, her actions and leadership will show.

"I'm just trying to be the best I can be," Bell said. "Every kill has a story, and I not only feel good about the record but also about the kind of person it has made me. I'd rather have four years of 400 kills at Arizona than one year as an All-American. "

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