Volleyball team's real season begins tonight with conference opener

They don't count for much anymore now that the Wildcats begin Pacific 10 Conference play on the road tonight when they meet No. 17 UCLA. The game begins at 7:30 and will be televised on Fox Sports.

"Everything now is focused on UCLA and preparation for the conference," coach Dave Rubio said.

Arizona (8-0) plays eighth-ranked Southern California tomorrow night at 7.

"This is a brutal conference and the key is to win at home and try to win on the road," Rubio said.

Last season's team, which included just two seniors, dropped six of its nine away contests. One of the wins was at UCLA and marked the first time Arizona notched a win at Pauley Pavilion.

This year, however, the Wildcats suit up their largest senior class ever with five.

"When you're dealing with a group of players that have been there, there is an experience factor," Rubio said. "They know what it takes and hopefully that will play a big factor."

The Trojans have won six straight matches against Arizona, dating back to 1994, and have been on fire since upsetting No. 6 Michigan State.

A sweep of the Los Angeles teams would surpass UA's longest winning streak ever. The record was set last season when Arizona began the season with nine straight victories. Arizona is optimistic about its chances of returning to Tucson with a new record in the books.

"There's going to be a lot more adrenaline and juices flowing this weekend," setter Michaela Ebben said.

The Wildcats led the conference in hitting percentage but fell to fifth after Tuesday night's 3-2 win over San Diego State, which included 35 UA attacking errors.

Southern Cal (7-0) hasn't faced many challenges yet. All but two of the Trojans' matches have resulted in shutout wins.

Arizona will have to guard against another poor offensive performance. The Trojans, led by Jasmina Marinkovic and junior outside hitter Jennifer Kessy, are limiting opponents to a .118 hitting percentage.

"We didn't feel as threatened (Tuesday) that I know we will versus USC and UCLA," senior Michelle Fanger said. "We'll play more intense just because of who they are and because it's a Pac-10 match."

UCLA (4-1) is coming off a season marred by injuries, causing the team to miss postseason play for the first time in school history.

"The Bruins are in a whole different era right now," Rubio said. "They used to walk in and already be three or four points ahead simply because of their reputation but some of that is lost because of what happened last year."

They do, however, return four starters including outside hitter Kara Milling, who leads the Pac-10 in kills per game with 6.06.

"Any weekend in the Pac-10 is tough but then it's tough for them too," Fanger said. "It will obviously be the toughest games we've played so far, but I think we're ready for it."