By Kristen Davis
Arizona Daily Wildcat
October 29, 1997

Volleyball heads into 'hostile environment' in Washington

Nicholas Valenzuela Arizona Daily Wildcat Sara Johnson (13) returns a serve in last weekend's Arizona State game. Johnson and her teammates travel to Washington for two matches against top-25 teams with their conference title hopes on the line.

UA volleyball coach Dave Rubio always talks about how good it is for a team to face adversity. He should be careful what he wishes for.

The Wildcats (15-3 overall, 7-3 in the Pacific 10 Conference) are getting ready for the most grueling road trip of the season - to the chilly Northwest for a pair of matches against No. 10 Washington State (19-4, 7-4) and No. 18 Washington (13-7, 8-3) this weekend.

"We're dealing with a lot of hostile environments and we have to go out and play great matches," Rubio said.

The Wildcats, who after spending four weeks at No. 15 moved up two slots to No. 13 in yesterday's national poll, have to deal with more than just a different climate.

The travel itself is enough to take a toll on the players.

After Arizona's Friday night match against Washington in Seattle, they board another plane for Pullman, Wash., around 9 a.m. Saturday before driving to the Washington State campus.

"It's the hardest trip because it's a long, long weekend," senior Carrie Penfield said. "Plus, both teams facilities are hard to play in. They both have small, ferocious crowds."

Last time the Wildcats traveled to Washington - a trip in which they lost both matches in four sets - the Huskies' Hec Edmundson Pavilion's doors were open, allowing the frigid air into the gym.

Plus, the crowd has developed a strategy to get on the visitor's nerves over the years.

"After they score the whole crowd yells 'point Huskies,' and it gets irritating so everyone wants to win fast so we can get out of there right away," senior Sara Johnson said.

The Cougars' Bohler Gym is no less imposing.

With an average of 1,637 fans, the Cougars are second in Pac-10 attendance. Their facility holds just 3,500 persons, compared to the McKale Center which holds over 14,000, so the noise is amplified.

"The (Washington schools) certainly do have the advantage when they play at home," Rubio said. "You measure a team by how they handle adverse situations. I relish the opportunity to go beat them on their floors."

The Wildcats' voyage couldn't come at a more crucial point in their season either.

Washington is in a tie with Southern Cal for second place in the conference after sweeping the Trojans and UCLA last weekend in Los Angeles, while the Wildcats are a half game out the position. Washington State is in the hunt too, trailing Arizona by a half game.

Aside from the tangibles, a team crisis always seems to erupt during the Washington trip. In the past, the team has had to hold team meetings to deal with struggles, chemistry problems and personal conflicts within the team.

"Historically, every time we play in Washington there always has been some significant event going on," Rubio said. "Why that is, I don't know. My hope is the significant event this time will be two wins."

USA TODAY/AVCA women's top 25 Poll

Rank Team		Points	Record	Last Wk


1	Penn State (59)	  1499	21-0	1
2	Long Beach State  1425	18-1	2
3	Florida		  1364	21-1	3
4	Stanford (1)	  1352	20-2	4
5	BYU		  1225	18-4	6
6	UC Santa Barbara  1178	21-2	7
7	Wisconsin	  1103	18-2	8
8	USC		  1103	16-3	5
9	Texas		  1034	16-3	9
10	Washington State   902	19-4	10
11	Nebraska	   899	15-5	11
12	Pepperdine	   846	17-2	14
13	Arizona	          779  15-3    15
14	Hawaii		   651  17-4	16
15	Texas A&M          636	15-5	12
16	Maryland	   555	19-0	17
17	Pacific		   553	13-5	13
18	Washington	   531	13-7	21
19	Colorado State	   459	19-3	18
20	Loyola Marymount   355	15-5	19
21	San Diego	   328	18-2	22
22	Arkansas	   188	18-5	24
23	Colorado	   173	10-7	20
24	UCLA		   109	9-9	23
25	Michigan State	    94	16-7	25

Others receiving points: Ohio State (29), South Carolina (29), Michigan (25), Kansas State (17), Texas Tech (16), Minnesota (12), Ball State (9), Oklahoma (5), Central Florida (4), Eastern Washington (4), Notre Dame (4), Sacramento State (3), Northern Illinois (2).