One would need only to look at the faces of senior outside hitters Barb Bell and Heidi Bomberger to understand how important weekend victories over No. 14 Washington and No. 8 Washington State were for the Arizona women's volleyball team.

After their last regular-season matches at McKale Center, Bell and Bomberger walked out of the locker room together with their arms full of gifts. Bell, who became the only player in UA history to earn 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs and 300 blocks in a career, was teary-eyed. Bomberger remained composed, a far cry from her fiery demeanor on the court.

"For me, personally, it's overwhelming," Bell said. "I'm just glad we went out this way. I mean, it could have been a lot different. I'm really proud of the team and the strides we've taken."

The Wildcats (18-8 overall, 9-7 in conference) were ranked No. 25 going into this weekend. After crushing Washington (21-6, 11-5) 15-8, 15-13, 15-5 and beating WSU (22-5, 13-4) 15-13, 15-13, 15-11, they are sure to move up in the national rankings, as well as in the Pac-10 standings.

"We're in this for the long haul," Bomberger said. "I'm glad that we gave our fans in Tucson a taste of it because that's probably not going to be our last match at McKale. Hopefully we're going to host the first round (of the NCAA Tournament) here. Count on us being in the first round."

UA head coach Dave Rubio said senior leadership is the impetus for the team's success. That was clearly evident against the Cougars.

"When you have great leadership like that, they take the team and put it on their back and carry them," Rubio said. "I don't even want to think about what life would be like without those guys around. You enjoy it while you can."

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