By Kristen Davis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 8, 1997

Volleyball team stacked with middle blockers, can only put two on court

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Daily Wildcat Junior Erin Aldrich spikes the ball during a drill at yesterday's practice in McKale Center. Aldrich is part of a talented middle blocker core that is giving UA head coach Dave Rubio trouble in deciding who to play.

Earlier this season Arizona volleyball coach Dave Rubio told Erin Aldrich he can't sit so much talent on the bench.

He was referring to UA's middle blocking group of senior Stephanie Venne, junior Keisha Johnson, Aldrich, a sophomore, and redshirt freshman Marisa DaLee.

That's exactly what's happening though. They have four quality middle blockers but just two spaces on the court.

"We have a great middle blocker core," Rubio said. "Each one of them has some real strengths and weaknesses. Based on who we're playing and how each person is playing will determine who will get the opportunity to play and who will play most."

Venne and Aldrich start and Johnson and DaLee are counted on for providing a spark off the bench.

The two reserves are often put in to help No. 15 Arizona (11-2 overall, 3-2 Pacific 10 Conference) in sideout situations.

"Keisha deserves to play and needs to play and Marisa deserves to play and needs to play also," Rubio said.

The players, however, don't understand Rubio's motives behind many substitutions. For example, Johnson, who played in 27 of the team's 41 games prior to last weekend, was not put in Sunday until the match's fourth game.

When Rubio was asked about his substitution patterns in UA's loss Sunday to Washington, he replied that he was, "rolling the dice and hoping something would catch."

"We're just frustrated because we feel like sometimes when we're having an off night he keeps us out there and when we're having a good night we're (sometimes) pulled," Venne said.

Rubio said it was not a matter of the coaching staff losing faith in a player after a mistake or two. Rather, they put in who is best for the team at the moment, which Aldrich said isn't always effective.

"Sometimes if someone's playing terrible and you sub the player out and try something new, it disrupts the team chemistry," Aldrich said.

Assistant coach Charita Johnson, a standout middle blocker for Arizona in the early 90s, initiated a meeting with the four players to discuss their roles after the Wildcats' loss Sunday. She reiterated that the team is stacked in the middle and explained that players are not necessarily playing poorly when they are taken out.

"Through the Pac-10 on any given night (the big-time player) could be Stephanie, Marisa , Erin or Keisha. It's real important that each and every one of them remembers that," she said.

"All of them are so competitive. Each one adds something to the pot. We can throw any of them out there and we don't lose a beat."

She also explained that the coaches substitute players to utilize all of their talent and to give players experience. The changes often throw off the other team's defense as well.

The middle blockers - who Rubio has refered to as one of the best groups in the Pac-10 as well as in the nation - range in class from Venne, a fifth-year senior to DaLee, who is playing in her first season of collegiate volleyball.

"We saw where each player was coming from and the different perspectives about how people feel about the rotation," said DaLee of the hour-long meeting. "It made me realize what's going on in their head. We all talked about it and just want to win."

"There's no tension between the four of us. We all want to win," Venne added. "We're surprisingly supportive of each other and get along off the court. We all want what's best for the team."

"Obviously we all feel like we're all very good middles and it's hard to deal with who should be out there and why. Sometimes it doesn't make sense, but we have to realize that that's what the coaches want."

"The bottom line is they need to accept changes being made because ultimately they've put faith in my decision-making in knowing what's best for this team," Rubio said.

"Everyone is getting a chance to play and they have to understand the situation. How they accept and understand their role is vital for the chemistry of this team."

USA TODAY/AVCA

Women's Division I volleyball top 25

Rank Team    Points     Record  Last Week
1 Penn State (60) 1425  15-0     1
2 Long Beach State 1358 13-1     2
3 Florida    1302       15-1     3
4 Stanford   1268       14-2     4
5 Nebraska   1197       13-2     5
6 USC        1067       11-1     7
7 BYU        1058       12-4     8
8 Washington State 1026 17-1     6
9 UC Santa Barbara 977  15-1     9
10 Wisconsin 912        12-2     10
11 Pepperdine 869       13-0     12
12 Pacific   805        10-3     11
13 Texas     749        9-3      13
14 Texas A&M 687        10-3     14
15 Arizona  649        11-2     15
16 Loyola Marymount 565 12-3     17
17 Hawaii    481        10-4     18
18 Maryland  434        12-0     19
19 Michigan State 360   12-5     16
20 Colorado State 346   13-3     20
21 UCLA      262        6-5      21
22 Colorado  22         7-4      23
23 Arkansas  101        12-5     22
24 Washington 74        9-6      N/R
25 Illinois  71         10-4     N/R

Others receiving points: Minnesota (61), Michigan (39), Indiana (28), South Carolina (23), Ohio State (22), Florida State (12), Butler (7), Notre Dame (7), San Diego (7), Northern Illinois (6), Texas Tech (6), Clemson (5), Arizona State (4), Ball State (4), Eastern Washington (4), North Carolina (3), Auburn (2), South Florida (1), Illinois State (1), Houston (1).